RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Twenty people have been arrested after a week-long, undercover crackdown on child predators across the state.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said in a news release Thursday that the arrests were part of “Operation Phalanx,” a joint effort between Virginia’s two Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces and the attorney general’s office.
As a result , 20 people were arrested for online solicitation of a minor or distribution of child pornography offenses in Bedford, Fairfax, Prince William, Virginia Beach, Richmond, and Loudoun.
Additionally, Cuccinelli said 23 search warrants have been executed and another 20 cases have been referred for investigation and prosecution outside of Virginia.
These referrals involve cooperation between Virginia’s ICAC’s and other ICACs across the country, as well as law enforcement agencies in Australia and France.
“I want to thank the dozens of ICAC investigators from the two task forces, under the leadership of Colonel Flaherty and Sheriff Brown, for their participation in this important operation, and for their continued dedication and hard work to make sure that these predators are taken off the streets,” said Cuccinelli.
