CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Daily News
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
POSTED: 06/20/16
A two-month sweep of suspected child predators wanted for everything from negotiating sex tourism on the internet to possessing and selling pornography netted 238 arrests across Southern California, including a Buddhist monk, authorities announced Monday.
The sweep was part of a national effort called Operation Broken Heart, launched by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a multi-agency effort. Operation Broken Heart was first conducted in 2014.
The latest operation, which was conducted in April and May, included agents with federal Homeland Security Investigations and child exploitation units from Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County and Fontana.
Those arrested included a 26-year-old Buddhist monk from Riverside and an Australian man who came to Los Angeles specifically to buy a 6-year-old boy who was being sold on the internet, officials said during a news conference in Exposition Park. Nationwide, 61 task forces conducted similar operations between April and May. A total of 1,368 arrests were made across the country as part of Operation Broken Heart, officials said.
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