Salem man ensnared in national operation targeting child sex predators
A Salem man was one of 205 people arrested in a sweeping operation targeting accused child sex predators across the U.S.
A federal grand jury indicted Robert A. Arias, 54, on April 1 in Portland U.S. District Court on charges of distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography, including depictions of a child younger than 12, according to court records.
The indictment alleged that Arias committed the crimes between October and December 2023.
He was arrested on April 28 at his Salem home, according to a news release Wednesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Report possible child sexual exploitation:
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:
*24/7 hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
FBI:
*Tipline: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324),
*FBI’s Portland Field Office: (503) 224-4181
His arrest came as part of Operation Restore Justice, a joint national effort to “identify, track and arrest child sex predators,” according to the statement.
Federal authorities said they rescued 115 children during the takedown, which spanned five days and involved all 55 FBI field offices, the U.S. Department of Justice and federal prosecutors across the country.
“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,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the statement.
The agency said the nationwide arrests included people accused of child pornography crimes, online enticement, transportation of minors and child sex trafficking.
Arias was one of three Oregon men arrested as part of the operation. The other two were residents of Beaverton and Vida.
He appeared the same day as his arrest in federal court. His location as of Wednesday afternoon could not be established.
A jury trial in his case is scheduled to start on July 1.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
