Nationwide FBI Operation Rescues 115 Children, Arrests 205 Suspected Child Predators
A coordinated nationwide law enforcement effort targeted child predators, and resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrest of 205 suspects. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) calls the five-day operation “unprecedented.”
All 55 FBI field offices took part in Operation Restore Justice, as did the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country. The operation occurred in April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Arrests occurred nationwide. They include trusted members of society such as some law enforcement professionals, teachers, and members of the military. Crimes include child sex trafficking, online enticement of a minor, and the production and possession of child pornography.
Cases highlighted by DOJ include an Army Reservist in Minneapolis who was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while wearing his uniforms. In Washington, DC, a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly tracking minor victims. In Virginia, an illegal alien from Mexico was arrested for transporting a minor across state lines for sex.
DOJ says that parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing some of the crimes to light. DOJ highlighted the case of a California man who was arrested just eight hours after a young victim came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at school.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in 2006.
Federal Employee Retirement Process Goes Fully Digital Starting June 2
Washington, D.C. — May 2025
The federal government is officially retiring its outdated paper-based retirement application process, a move long sought by federal workers frustrated by processing delays that stretched for months or even years. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced this week that beginning June 2, 2025, all retirement applications from agencies serviced by the National Finance Center (NFC) and the Interior Business Center (IBC) must be submitted electronically.
Further, beginning July 15, 2025, OPM will exclusively process retirement applications submitted through its Online Retirement Application (ORA) system, marking the agency’s complete transition to digital processing.
For agencies not currently using NFC or IBC, OPM has committed to providing an alternative electronic submission process to ensure no agencies are left behind.
OPM Declares Digital Transformation Milestone
In a memo to federal agencies, OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell said the shift represents a long-overdue modernization.
“The federal workforce deserves a retirement process that matches the demands of the 21st century,” Ezell wrote. “Legacy systems with outdated technology and cumbersome procedures have delayed retirements and frustrated employees who have dedicated their careers to public service.”
The digital overhaul follows the successful processing of OPM’s first fully electronic retirement application just three months ago. OPM is now scaling that pilot nationwide.
DOGE and Elon Musk’s Role in Accelerating the Shift
A surprising catalyst in the modernization effort has been the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created under a 2025 executive order by President Trump. DOGE’s high-profile figurehead, Elon Musk, publicly criticized the federal government earlier this year for its antiquated processing methods—infamously claiming that retirement forms were still being handled by hand in a former limestone mine in Pennsylvania, where OPM’s retirement operations have long been headquartered.
Musk applauded the digital shift on his social platform, X, writing: “Retirement is now digital, so much faster and more accurate! Nice work by many. "DOGE reportedly worked closely with OPM to accelerate the rollout of ORA, helping to meet the administration’s deadline.
Training and Implementation Requirements
Federal agencies participating in the transition are required to complete mandatory training by June 2, 2025, to ensure staff are prepared to use the new system. OPM will also coordinate with payroll providers to guarantee secure and seamless integration with ORA for all agencies.
Retirement Filing Pace Slows After Record Winter Surge
The shift comes as the pace of new retirements has slowed following a record surge in early 2025. According to OPM data:
In total, more than 33,500 federal employees retired in the first quarter of 2025—up from 29,700 in the same period last year.
The retirement claims backlog fell to 16,700 in April, a decline of nearly 4,000 claims from the previous month but still above OPM’s target of 13,000.
The average processing time now stands at 54 days, improved from 61 days a year ago. Claims submitted with complete paperwork processed in less than 60 days were finalized in an average of 33 days.
Controversy Over Workday Contract Cancellation
In a separate development, OPM abruptly canceled a $342,000 sole-source contract with HR software giant Workday, less than a week after announcing it. The contract, which bypassed competitive bidding, was intended to overhaul OPM’s aging HR technology.
Sources familiar with the situation told Washington Technology that the move was met with strong resistance from government IT integrators, who reportedly raised concerns over the lack of a competitive process and the technical feasibility of integrating Workday’s systems with existing federal infrastructure.
OPM has not commented publicly on the reason for the contract’s termination or on its next steps for modernizing HR systems.
