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Federal, state, and local law enforcement arrested five men in the Omaha area last week following an undercover sting operation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) targeting people seeking to pay for sex with children. All five now face federal charges of attempted sex trafficking of a minor.
The operation is part of a sustained effort that begins months in advance, according to HSI. Omaha Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Chris Hessenflow said the office has made 21 federal arrests for child sex trafficking over the past five years, with investigators engaging offenders in the same online spaces where they go looking for children to exploit.
In this operation, 146 people initially expressed interest in commercial sex; even after undercover agents disclosed that the “worker” was a minor, 46 continued to pursue it. Iowa HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Cardiel said the numbers reflect a broader national pattern: offenders with the same online access as children, many willing to travel significant distances to act on it.
Two of the five men taken into custody had prior convictions and were already listed on Nebraska’s sex offender registry. U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska Lesley Woods pointed to the shift from intent to action: “It’s more than just talk. It’s more than just planning.”
Operations like this one depend on the ability to move quickly and safely from initial online contact to actionable, courtroom-ready evidence — the kind of coordinated, multi-agency work that keeps children safer in communities nationwide.
The Penlink Training Summit returns to Omaha, Nebraska, March 8–10, 2027, bringing together investigators, analysts, agency leaders and security professionals for two and a half days of training, learning and collaboration.
Europol brought together investigators, analysts and open-source intelligence specialists from 12 countries for a four-day operation targeting human trafficking networks exploiting Ukrainian nationals online.
Penlink, a leading provider of digital intelligence solutions for law enforcement, national security, defense and enterprise organizations, announced today that Training Manager Brittany Hansen was presented with the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of War program.
Chicago police and the U.S. Marshals Service teamed up this spring. Their goal: find missing juveniles fast. Over ten days in May, Operation Safe Return Chicago located 30 missing kids across the city.
A Lake County, Florida jury found two men guilty on drug trafficking and related charges tied to a 2022 investigation into narcotics sales across the Leesburg, Mount Dora, and Fruitland Park area.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the results of a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking coordinated around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, and federal, state, and local partners arrested 905 suspects and rescued 180 victims — 150 adults and 30 juveniles — across World Cup host cities.