(Jackson, Mississippi) Attorney General Lynn Fitch today announced the completion of a cyber crime operation known as Operation Press Your Luck that led to the arrest of three individuals on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors.
The Attorney General’s Office partnered with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Wiggins Police Department, Columbia Police Department, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to target and locate individuals who were attempting to lure children they met online for sex or child pornography. As a result of this operation, law enforcement served five search warrants, with investigations ongoing that may lead to additional arrests.
“Through this operation, we were able to capture bad actors and do so before they had the chance to do more harm,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am grateful to our partners in law enforcement who worked closely with our office to protect our children and make the Internet a safer place.”
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office manages and operates the Mississippi ICAC Task Force, which was created by the U.S. Department of Justice and works in cooperation with other ICAC Task Forces across the country. From January 1, 2023 to February 28, 2023, the Mississippi ICAC Task Force received 724 Cyber Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which administers the national CyberTipline.
If you have information about a child being sexually exploited online, please report it to 1-800-843-5678. The hotline is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also make a report online
here.
