Over 200 arrests nationwide – including 12 that took place in Michigan – resulted from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently completed Operation Restore Justice. 

The district attorneys for the Eastern District of Michigan, based in Detroit, and the Western District of Michigan, based in Grand Rapids, related the details of the regional efforts in press releases from their respective offices. Most of, but not all, of those arrested in Michigan were Michigan residents. 

The coordinated effort was put into action over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department's Criminal Division, and United States Attorney's Offices around the country. The Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections, Muskegon County Sheriff's Department and Grand Haven Department of Public Safety also assisted in some of the investigations. 

In the aftermath of the national investigation, 115 children were rescued, the Department of Justice announcements said. 

"The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in her statement. "I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate." 

In some of the cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in the investigation. For example, one man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after a presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y. 

The following details are from the reports issued by the two offices in Michigan: 

Arrests made in the Eastern District of Michigan 

Adarius Carr, 36, of Belleville, was distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.  The complaint alleges that Carr communicated with a convicted sex offender over an Internet-messaging service, exchanging images and videos of child pornography. 

Aroul Kaliamurthy, 53, of Westland, was charged with transportation, possession, and access with intent to view child pornography. The circumstances involve hidden camera videos of a child taken in North Carolina. 

Amor Pedro Martinez, 26, of Ecorse, was charged with receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography. The circumstances involve sexually explicit conversations and receiving child pornography on an application. 

Scott Rocky, 57, of Center Line, was charged in a criminal complaint with receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography. The circumstances involve over 4,100 files believed to be child pornography shared over peer-to-peer software. 

Whitney Williams, 38, no city listed, was charged in a criminal complaint with sex trafficking of a minor. Williams is alleged to have advertised, then rented hotel rooms and transported a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts. 

Arrests made in the Western District of Michigan 

Shauntelle Blackmon, 23, of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, was indicted on criminal charges related to the alleged sexual exploitation of a child, along with sex trafficking of a child. The Martell Scott-Ware case is related to this one. 

Joseph Brandon, no age given, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was charged with offenses related to the sexual exploitation of a child. The circumstances involve using social media accounts to produce and trade child pornography.  

Terry Hopkins, no age given, of Muskegon Heights, was charged with possession of child pornography. Hopkins was previously convicted of possession of child sexually abusive material on two occasions and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.   

George Edward Lebaron, no age given, of Egelston Township, was arrested by criminal complaint on charges related to alleged coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. The circumstances include coercing a 14-year-old girl to send naked pictures of herself.  

Paul Masko, no age given, of Grand Haven, was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Masko was a teacher at a public school in Muskegon County. The circumstances involve a minor who was instructed to take explicit photos on a cell phone. 

Martell Scott-Ware, 29, of Grand Rapids, is facing charges relating to an alleged sexual exploitation of a girl under age 16. The Shauntelle Blackmon case is related to this one. 

Christian Vanderveen, 24, of Comstock Park, was charged with sexual exploitation of a child. The circumstances involve requesting sexually explicit images from a minor who was under the age of thirteen.