EXCLUSIVE: Seventy people were arrested across Mississippi in a two-week statewide operation targeting child exploitation offenders and previously convicted sex offenders, including illegal immigrants, federal officials announced.
The two-week operation, dubbed "Operation Muddy Waters," was the work of several federal, state and local agencies and generated new child exploitation charges, ranging from illegal immigrants who allegedly crossed state lines to abuse minors, to others accused of trading child sexual abuse material.
The following people were arrested on charges during "Operation Muddy Waters," according to the Department of Homeland Security:
Cristian Abel Argueta Giron: An illegal immigrant from Honduras who allegedly travelled from Tennessee to Mississippi "for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor."
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Rahul Mondal: An illegal immigrant from Bangladesh on a student visa at the University of Alabama who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old male via a social media."
Jose Arevalo Garcia: An illegal immigrant from Mexico who is allegedly a non-compliant sex offender previously convicted for sexual assault in 2010.
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Enrique Bravo Gonzalez: An illegal immigrant from Mexico who is allegedly a non-compliant sex offender who was previously convicted for a felony sexual offense against a child in 2022.
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Justin Tyler Scott: A U.S. citizen who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old male via a social media to have sex."
Yves Jean Baptiste Cook: A U.S. citizen who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old female via a social media, sent masturbation videos and requested nude images."
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told Fox News Digital in a statement that one child was saved from a sextortion scheme in progress.
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"For two weeks, federal, state, and local law enforcement have been working together to find the predators who hide in plain sight in our communities. And the outstanding number of arrests made during this operation point to the power of this partnership," Fitch said. "But the most important number coming from this operation is the one child victim that was saved from a sextortion scheme in progress. The work done in this operation made all the difference to this child and to countless others who are a little safer online right now."
The operation involved participation from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Marshals Service, sheriff’s offices in Marshall, DeSoto, Harrison, Pearl River, and Forrest counties, the Oxford Police Department and other federal, state and local partners.
"Those who choose to hide behind a computer screen to exploit children will not remain hidden," said Matthew Reidell, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Gulfport. "Operation Muddy Waters demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children, supporting victims, and holding offenders accountable. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to bring these crimes to light, pursue those responsible and help prevent further harm."
