Chicago FBI officials detail Operation Iron Pursuit child sexual abuse crackdown

CHICAGO - The FBI recently concluded a nationwide child exploitation takedown — a coordinated effort to identify child victims and track down the people responsible for causing harm. 

Operation Iron Pursuit took place in April in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month as a month-long, coordinated federal enforcement effort involving arrests, search warrants, and prosecutions.

FOX Chicago's Kasey Chronis sat down exclusively with officials from FBI Chicago to discuss the operation. 

The backstory:

The FBI is constantly investigating crimes against children, but Operation Iron Pursuit brings that important work into sharper focus.

During the crackdown, more than 200 child victims were identified and over 350 child sexual abuse offenders were taken off the streets nationwide.

"A lot of times when the FBI goes to court, the victim is the federal government. In these cases, our victims are human beings," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Wieczorek with FBI Chicago. "Unfortunately, this is more common than people realize on a day-to-day basis."

All 56 of the FBI's field offices participated in Operation Iron Pursuit, with support from their respective U.S. Attorneys' Offices. 

Here at home, the operation was led by FBI Chicago ASAC Robert Wieczorek. 

"One of the most important priorities of the FBI, not only in the FBI Chicago Field Office, but nationally, is to keep our children safe, keep our communities safe, and aggressively go after violent crime, wherever that may be," Wieczorek shared. "When children are the victim, that's a little more personal. As a law enforcement professional, and as a father, it's deeply personal."

During the sting, a surge of resources was focused on child sexual exploitation, trafficking, abuse, kidnapping, and possessing, distributing, or receiving child sexual abuse materials.

In one local case, Denikos Hawkins, 36, of Chicago, was reaching out to teens on Instagram.

"He's asking to trade images and get pictures, things of that nature. It always starts out small, kind of innocuous," Wieczorek explained. 

Hawkins ultimately met with those minors and filmed sexual acts, then sent those videos to other kids asking for similar content, according to FBI Chicago officials. 

"We opened up a case, we investigated it, we arrested him, we charged him, and recently, he was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison," Wieczorek said. 

Dig deeper:

Each child exploitation case has a different outcome.

"Not every investigation ends with an apprehension, and justice can look like a lot of different things for the victims that we will come into contact with," said Amanda Zarobsky, victim specialist with FBI Chicago. 

Zarobsky is a victim specialist with the FBI.

"Our whole job is working with victims through the entire process — from the initial onset to charges being filed," Zarobsky said. 

Beyond that, Zarobsky also helps families pinpoint resources during their recovery.

Now, she is urging parents to pay attention to their kids' behaviors, watch and read what they're doing on social media, and talk to them.

"If there is a change in behavior, if something is going on where it seems like they don't want to go to school anymore, or if they don't want to be on the internet — or if they want to be on the internet more often, it might not be something like child sexual abuse material or human trafficking, but talking about the little things that are bothering your kids can really lead to having them open up if something more serious does happen," Zarobsky explained. 

Officials are reminding the public that an offender could be a complete stranger — or someone close to home.

"This takes shape in many different forms. It could be a family member, it could be a trusted community member, it could be a neighbor. That's why it's so important to communicate with your children," Wieczorek said. "There are bad people out there, the FBI is great at tracking them down, but we're all in this fight together."

"If there is something happening to a child in your home, or a child that you know of, you are not alone. We are here to support you and help you in whatever way we can," Zarobsky added. 

Even as Operation Iron Pursuit comes to a close, the FBI says its work to protect children and find offenders does not — and will not — stop. 

"And if there are people out there that are harming our children, we will stop at nothing," Wieczorek said. "We will utilize every single resource. There is no amount of time or distance that an individual can get away from us."

What's next:

Any crimes against children should be reported to 911 immediately.

Tips can also be sent to the FBI through the following channels:

• FBI Tipline: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324)
• Chicago Field Office: (312) 421-6700.
• Online: tips.fbi.gov