Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
5 Mass. men arrested in nationwide operation to crack down on child sex abuse, prosecutors say
The federal operation led to the arrest of more than 200 alleged child sexual abuse offenders, including five from Massachusetts, prosecutors said.
Five Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged as a result of a Department of Justice (DOJ) operation to apprehend child sex predators, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The five men were among more than 200 child sexual abuse offenders who were arrested nationwide as part of the five-day effort from April 28 to May 2, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Known as Operation Restore Justice, the effort was led by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the DOJ, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide, according to the DOJ.
Those arrested include school leaders, members of law enforcement, and registered sex offenders who face accusations of producing, distributing, and selling child sexual abuse material (CSAM); online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Advertisement:
“Protecting children from exploitation is among the most sacred responsibilities we have in law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley. “Each case serves as a difficult reminder that child predators are embedded in our communities.”
Five men from Massachusetts arrested in nation-wide operation
Jacob Henriques, 29, of Boston, is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. A former assistant admissions director at Emmanuel College, Henriques allegedly tried to convince a 17-year-old prospective student to have commercial sex with him.
Henriques allegedly used his position at Emmanuel to access several admitted or prospective students’ personal information to contact them and attempt to convince them to have sex with him, prosecutors say. He also allegedly sent some of the students pornographic images and videos.
Advertisement:
Further accusations against Henriques were revealed Tuesday alleging that he tried a similar tactic on a 13-year-old girl several days earlier, contacting her via Instagram and offering to pay her for sex.
Justin Ouimette, 34, of Holyoke, is a registered sex offender charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ouimette allegedly possessed over 400 files depicting the abuse of victims as young as three years old.
In July 2024, investigators allegedly found over 200 pieces od child sex abuse material on Ouimette’s devices and found another 200 files on his Dropbox account.
Ouimette was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in October 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He was issued a probation violation in July 2024 and is currently serving a one-year prison sentence.
Warren Messeck, 75, of Aggawam, is charged with possessing CSAM and was allegedly identified in 2021 as a user of an online file sharing network downloading CSAM, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Investigators searched his residence and seized over 40 devices, allegedly finding over 10,000 CSAM files on six of the devices.
Brandon Bendall, 49, of Wareham, is charged with possessing and receiving CSAM, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He was allegedly part of an online chat group where users viewed and posted CSAM.
Advertisement:
Investigators searched Bendall’s residence and cell phone and allegedly found approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The seized material allegedly included images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted.
Cess Frazier, 32, of Boston, is charged with receiving CSAM, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Investigators searched Frazier’s phone and allegedly found about 100 CSAM files depicting victims between approximately three and 10 years old saved in Telegram Messenger.
“We will not relent in our pursuit of those who exploit children, and we are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their tireless work to bring these predators to justice. This work will not stop,” Foley said in the statement.
The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative to “combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” according to the DOJ. Foley’s office has a public education and outreach program to keep children safe online.
“There are few situations more urgent than when a child is physically at risk, and as ‘Operation Restore Justice’ has shown, child predators come in many different forms,” James Crowley, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in the statement. “As horrific as these alleged crimes are, they are not rare. Make no mistake, FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to finding these child sex abusers, locking them up, and ensuring those they have victimized are safe and well-supported.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com