Headline Roundup • July 29th, 2025
Federal Operation Shuts Down Child Porn Sites With 120,000 Members, Convicts 18 Men
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A joint effort by the Justice Department (DOJ) and the FBI launched in 2020, dubbed Operation Grayskull, has resulted in the dismantling of four dark web sites hosting sexually exploitative images of minors and the convictions of 18 men.
The Details: The sites contained millions of files and had over 120,000 members. They featured sections specifically dedicated to infants and toddlers, as well as depictions of violence, sadism, and torture. According to the DOJ, the operation also resulted in arrests in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Belgium, and South Africa.
Most Recent Development: Last week, Thomas Peter Katsampes of Minnesota was sentenced to over 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution for his involvement with one of the sites.
Key Quotes: Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said, “Today’s announcement sends a clear warning to those who exploit and abuse children: you will not find safe haven, even on the dark web.” FBI Director Kash Patel called the operation “one of the most significant strikes ever made against online child exploitation networks.”
How The Media Covered It: The story was only significantly covered by the right. The DOJ published information on Operation Grayskull on July 23. Just The News (Lean Right bias) penned a short article containing information from the DOJ’s release on July 24. CBS News (Lean Left) was the first major mainstream outlet to pick up the story on July 27 and spoke to US officials involved. Several other outlets from the right picked up the story on July 28. Notably, AllSides did not find coverage from other outlets on the left, any major Center outlets, or several prominent outlets on the right, including Fox News (Right) and The New York Post (Lean Right).
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Featured Coverage of this Story
A joint effort between the Justice Department and the FBI has led to the conviction of 18 men and the dismantling of four dark websites dedicated to images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
The websites shut down by Operation Grayskull attracted more than 120,000 members, included millions of files, and garnered at least 100,000 visits in a single day, one FBI official told CBS News.
George Walker IV / AP
The U.S. Department of Justice announced 18 convictions from “Operation Grayskull”, a joint effort between the Department of Justice and the FBI that dismantled four dark web child pornography sites.
The cases were across the U.S. and seven other countries, according to a news release from the Justice Department.
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