❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the results of Operation Grayskull, a major joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that dismantled four dark web sites dedicated to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and international partners.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The operation targeted sites active since 2022 and involved arrests across the U.S., the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and other countries.

💬KEY QUOTE: “These offenders thought that they could act without consequences, but they were wrong,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.

🎯IMPACT: The operation resulted in 18 convictions, sentences up to life in prison, and the dismantling of some of the most egregious child exploitation platforms online.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have announced the conclusion of a sweeping investigation that dismantled four dark web sites hosting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Dubbed Operation Grayskull, the effort has thus far resulted in 18 criminal convictions, with the offenders receiving significant federal sentences.

Last week, one of the high-profile prosecutions resulted in Thomas Peter Katsampes, 52, of Eagan, Minnesota, being sentenced to 250 months in prison, lifetime supervised release, and ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to advertise and distribute child pornography. He joined one of the dark web sites in 2022 and became a site moderator, actively distributing CSAM and advising others on sharing illegal content.

FBI Director Kash Patel described Operation Grayskull as “one of the most significant strikes ever made against online child exploitation networks.” He emphasized, “You cannot hide behind anonymity to harm children.”

Investigators revealed that the dismantled sites included some of the most egregious child exploitation platforms online, featuring sections dedicated to infants, toddlers, and violent content involving sadism and torture. The sites collectively attracted over 120,000 users and had at least 100,000 visits in a single day.

Eight defendants were prosecuted and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida alone for running one of the largest of the targeted websites. Sentences ranged from 20 years to life in prison. Additional convictions in other federal districts included sentences from nearly six years to 18 years. Two individuals died before they could be charged, and arrests were also made internationally, including in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Belgium, and South Africa.

“These offenders thought that they could act without consequences, but they were wrong,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.

Operation Grayskull was led by the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, with support from Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in 2006 to combat online child exploitation. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida stated, “Let this be a clear warning. We will relentlessly pursue and prosecute anyone engaged in such atrocities, no matter how they attempt to cover their tracks.”

Image by Steve Fernie.

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