Dallas firefighter, teachers among 59 people facing charges in North Texas child exploitation crackdown
Law enforcement agencies announced charges against dozens of North Texans as part of a month-long investigation designed to rescue children who are the victims of online sexual exploitation.
The investigation, called Operation Janus, sought out people who were trafficking illegal images and videos of children who were forced to perform sexual acts.
The victims in the operation are as young as infants, according to investigators.
A detective says this started after companies like Google and Facebook flagged the inappropriate material.
It resulted in more than 80 criminal charges filed against 59 offenders from Jan. 16 to Feb. 10.
Law enforcement groups say over the course of the operation, 28 children were rescued from online sexual abuse, and investigators seized terabytes of data and electronic devices used in the crimes.
Jeff Rich is the detective handing the Plano side of the case.
"The electronic service providers, the services you use on your phone or computer, detect contraband material, and they report that to the National center for missing and exploited children who then forward that information to the affected law enforcement agency.
More charges could be coming as the devices are analyzed.
Among those charged are Jesse McFall, who worked for Dallas Fire-Rescue, Brandon Froning, who taught at Parish Episcopal and Michael A. Newhouse, Jr., who worked as a substitute teacher for McKinney ISD.
READ MORE: Parish Episcopal School teacher arrested on child porn charges
Operation Janus was the result of a number of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Dallas Division's Child Exploitation Task Force and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The name of the mission comes from Roman mythology and the two-faced god who looks to the future and the past.
"We see the worst of society, the darkness of society, to be able to shine a light into the darkness and rescue these children is hugely important," Rich said.
"The people charged as a result of this operation preyed upon some of our most vulnerable, our children," said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia in a statement. "We will never stop working to identify, locate and apprehend these predators to make our community safer for our children."
A majority of the people involved live in Texas. One person was arrested in Alaska.
Operation Janus Charges
- Mickail Dukes, Manifestation of Prostitution, Dallas PD
- Brandon Froning, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Justin Peters, Possession of Child Pornography, Garland PD
- Noah Craver, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Vincent Hammack, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Joshua Drake, Possession of Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- Michael A. Newhouse, Jr. Possession of Child Pornography Possession of Lewd Visual Material, Texas DPS
- Michael W. Newhouse, Sr. Possession of Child Pornography, Texas DPS
- Michael Sinnreich, Possession of Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- Ernest Martinez, Possession of Child Pornography, Abilene PD
- Isaac Hernandez, Possession of Child Pornography, Irving PD
- Marcus Lugo, Possession of Child Pornography, Abilene PD
- Juan Juarez, Promotion of Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- Jesse McFall, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD/Denton PD
- Eduardo Ramirez, Receiving/Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Jesse Giesbrecht, Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office/FBI
- Ubaydah Fadel, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Ivan Hernandez, Sexual Assault of a Child, Dallas PD
- Ralph Brooks Brown, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Anthony Johnson, Possession with Intent to Promote with Prior Conviction, Dallas PD
- Nathan Abramovich, Possession of Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- JUVENILE, Possession of Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- Corey Smith Shaw, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Nathanel Black, Possession of Child Pornography, Irving PD
- Steve Martin, Possession of Child Pornography, Plano PD
- Tracey Couey, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Ramiro Mendoza, Lara Possession of Child Pornography, Irving PD
- Charles Stanfiel, Possession of Child Pornography, Abilene PD
- Edward Rodriquez, Online Solicitation of a Minor, Abilene PD
- JUVENILE, Possession of Child Pornography with Intent to Promote, Wylie PD
- Shemar Green, Possession of Child Pornography and Transportation of Child Pornography, FBI-Lubbock/Snyder PD
- Cassidy Lush, Distribution of Child Pornography, FBI – Lubbock
- David Espinoza, Possession of Child Pornography, FBI – Lubbock
- Jonathan Paige, Kidnapping/Sex Assault of a Child, Plano PD
- Christopher Berger, Promotion of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Justin Wyly, Possession of Child Pornography, Hopkins County SO
- James Wilborn, Indecency with a Child, Dallas PD
- Thomas Dobbs, Possession of Child Pornography, Abilene PD
- Craig Schamberger, Online Solicitation, Fort Worth PD
- Jason Till, Production of Child Pornography, Homeland Security Investigations
- Pipino Alfredo Castelan Diaz, Solicitation of Prostitution of a Minor
- Irving Woods, Online Solicitation, Fort Worth PD/Alaska State Troopers/US Secret Service
- Demon Driver, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Joseph Sterle, Possession of Child Pornography, DPS-Texarkana
- Stephen Benzenhafer, Online Solicitation of a Minor, Plano PD
- Silvestre Diaz, Indecent Assault, Wylie PD
- Juan Blaylock, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Maximillian Arya, Possession of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Juvenile, Bestiality, Garland PD
- Juvenile, Publish Intimate Visual Material, Wylie PD
- Gary Mathis, Promotion of Child Pornography, Dallas PD
- Anthony Garza, Misdemeanor Charge, Lubbock PD
- Haseeb Memon, Possession with Intent to Promote Child Pornography, Wylie PD
- Sierra Hendry, Bestiality, Dallas PD
- Rit Tran, Distribution of Child Pornography, FBI – Dallas
- Javier Montano, Sex Abuse of a Child, Fort Worth PD