The Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force participated in the Department of Justice’s Operation Broken Heart. A federal program that operated from March through May of this year and focused on technology-facilitated crimes against children.
 
The mission of the operation was two-fold:

1. Investigations
2. Community Outreach

The 39 investigations launched during this operation included possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual purposes, child sex trafficking and child sex tourism. Seven suspects were arrested and more are expected as the investigations continue. The 20 community outreach events included the Inaugural Alaska ICAC First Responder Course in Sitka, Alaska. A five-day course focused on identifying investigative leads in cyber tips, locating suspects and conducting searches for digital evidence.
 
The suspects have been identified as:

1. Jeremy Strunk (39-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Sex Abuse Minor 1. APD Case: 18-17528
2. Michael Clark, Jr. (28-years-old). He faces a charge of Possession of Child Pornography. Alaska State Troopers Case: AK17075059
3. Vance Peronto (57-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Sex Abuse Minor 2. Alaska State Troopers Case: AK18027772
4. Cory Lockhart (28-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Possession of Child Pornography. Juneau Police Department Case: 180227-011
5. Byran Oftedahl (35-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Possession of Child Pornography. Ketchikan Police Department Case: 18-464
6. Dale Willis (43-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Possession of Child Pornography. Ketchikan Police Department 17-4225
7. Brandon Cockburn (39-years-old). He faces multiple charges including Distribution of Child Pornography. APD Case: 17-8688

The Alaska ICAC Task Force is led by the Anchorage Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit. It’s a multi-agency task force consisting of 30 federal, state and local partners.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adversal-468×60″]
 
For more information about Operation Broken Heart, click this link:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/more-2300-suspected-online-child-sex-offenders-arrested-during-operation-broken-heart

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