The Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force made 19 arrests and obtained seven convictions between April and May as part of a national operation identifying child sex offenders, Attorney General Jim Hood announced.

Operation Broken Heart, which was a two-month effort led by the United States Department of Justice, was conducted by all 61 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces across the country. It targeted suspects who produced, distributed, received, and possessed child pornography, engaged in online enticement for sexual purposes, engaged in sex trafficking of children, and traveled across state lines or to other countries and sexually abused children. During the two-month operation in Mississippi, the ICAC task force examined over 33 terabytes of electronic media, made 19 arrests, hosted six training courses to approximately 430 law enforcement officers and prosecutors, conducted three public awareness presentations, and led 19 internet safety presentations reaching 2,400 children and adults.

Some of the individuals arrested and/or sentenced in Mississippi during Operation Broken Heart 2019 include:

· Kristina Lynn Crose, 31, of Pass Christian, sentenced to serve nine years in prison on one count of gratification of lust

· William Eugene Wicker, Jr., 41, of Vicksburg, sentenced to serve five years on one count of child exploitation

· Benjamin Adam McDonald, age 33, of Southaven, sentenced to serve 10 years on one count of possession of child pornography

· Christian Shows, 25, of Meridian, sentenced to serve eight years on one count of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Mark Randy Magee, 61, of Purvis, sentenced to serve 10 months for sending obscene materials to a juvenile

· Cody Clines Adkins, 36, of Jackson, sentenced to serve 60 years on six counts of producing and sharing child pornography

· Kevin Douglas Jenkins, 35, of Pelahatchie, sentenced to serve 21 years and 10 months on one count each of production of child pornography and production of child pornography by a person who has custody of a minor

· Mary Yvonne Torres, 37, of Lucedale, charged with one count of child exploitation for production of child pornography

· Timothy Sistrunk, 57, of Rankin County, charged with 10 counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Craig Thomas Kelley, of DeSoto County, charged with one count of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Michael Justin Palmer, 39, of Picayune, charged with two counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Gerald Nathaniel Whitaker, 43, of Southaven, charged with three counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Georgette Nicole Whitaker, 35, of Southaven, charged with three counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Marcus Tyler Collett, 26, of Brandon, charged with one count of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· Stephen Vail Schubring, 29, of Pearl, charged with one count of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· William Dale Scrimpshire, 65, of Pachuta, charged with two counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

· William Andrew Chapman, 36, of Columbia, charged with two counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography

“The best news out of this operation is that our commitment to hunting down these sexual deviants resulted in the rescues of 357 children victims nationally,” General Hood said. “This demonstrates how collaborative efforts through our ICAC task force in Mississippi make our home state a safer place. Our appreciation cannot be overstated for the hard work of the more than 75 federal, state, and local affiliate agencies who serve on our ICAC task force. Their dedication to protecting our children helps put these criminals behind bars.”

Nationally, Operation Broken Heart arrested more than 1,700 suspects and identified 308 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed sexual child abuse. A press release from the DOJ can be found here.