Online child predator operation leads to 35 arrests in New Orleans area

KENNER, LA (WVUE) - A recent child predator operation by the Orleans Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force led to 35 arrests. Attorney General Liz Murrill and partner agencies spoke about the operation at the Kenner Police Department, where the local task force operates.

“They don’t care. They are very good at what they do. They prey on children,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said about the suspects.

Murrill says all 35 arrestees are accused of using social media despite being convicted sex offenders, which is a felony offense in Louisiana. A first-time offender can get up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, while repeat offenders can get up to 25 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Murrill says the suspects used a variety of different platforms to talk to children or undercover agents online:

• Facebook
• X
• Instagram
• PlayStation
• XBox
• Telegram
• Discord
• YouTube
• Snapchat
• WhatsApp
• TikTok
• Thread
• Fambase
• LinkedIn
• WhatNot
• Zangi

“These are people who are in the businesses of being deceptive and manipulative,” Murrill said.

The 35 arrests are just a snapshot of the Louisiana Internet Crime Task Force, which the Attorney General’s Office says has seen 46,000 tips, 600 arrests and saved 80 children so far this year. That all comes after Murrill had just 8 partner agencies (local police departments and sheriff’s offices) signed up with the program.

Now, Murrill says the state task force has 83 partner agencies across Louisiana.

“I spent a lot of my time expanding our network and expanding our partners,” she said.

Dillard University Criminologist Dr. Ashraf Esmail says seeing more focus on internet crimes is a welcome sight as online issues rise.

“That is a positive that they are arresting more because sex crimes are very dangerous,” he said.

While the task force is committed to tracking down more child sex predators across Louisiana, officials say it’s becoming more of a challenge with new messaging apps getting developed at a rapid pace.

“Those app stores where you download your apps -- those guys need to be held more accountable,” ICAC Task Force Commander Chris Masters said.

Task force leaders say they are in talks with software distributors to better curb who can download which apps and what content they can see.

Meanwhile -- Murrill touts the state’s role in a $12 billion lawsuit against Meta this Summer that forces the tech company to put child protections on Facebook and Instagram.

“I think that was a good step in the right direction in getting participation,” she said.

Murrill says ongoing lawsuits against other social media companies could bring even more sweeping changes, but the best protections for children come from their parents.

“You have to teach them that the person you are talking to might not be who they say they are,” she said.

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