3 arrested in Utah as part of nationwide FBI operation targeting child predators
May 7, 2025, 2:44 PM | Updated: 5:39 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — The FBI is touting the results of a nationwide sting that focused on catching child sex predators.
According to a news release, during the five-day “Operation Restore Justice,” more than 200 people were arrested and more than 100 children were rescued.
Three people in Utah were arrested as part of the operation, including the director of a charter school, after investigations by the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office.
“Sometimes people want to fit child predators into like a box. They want to be able to figure out what they’re like and who they are and what type of person they are,” said Dustin Grant, FBI supervisory special agent, in an interview with KSL TV. “Unfortunately, they’re everybody. They’re rich people. They’re poor people. They’re people that come from a variety of different backgrounds, positions of trust.”
Those arrested in Utah include:
- Jared Buckley, the lead director of Leadership Learning Academy, which has campuses in Layton and Ogden. The FBI said he possessed more than 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material. He’s now charged with possession of “child pornography.”
- Melissa Goodrich, who is charged with sex trafficking of a minor.
- Gustavo Uroza-Rodriguez, a man from Mexico who is in the United States illegally, and has been charged with enticing a child for sexual activity as well as possessing and distributing “child pornography.”
Grant said the recent FBI operation highlights the fact that predators are targeting children on social media and online.
“If you are giving a device to a child,” Grant said, “there’s inherent risk that’s going along with that.”
He said parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online or on their phones. When parents are involved, Grant said, they can help prepare children for what they should do if they encounter a predator online.
“The kids will be prepared for that,” Grant said, “and they’ll either disengage or notify the parents when that inappropriate behavior or contact is made by these offenders on the internet.”
If you suspect a crime against a child, call 911 or the local police department. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or leave tips online.
CSAM Prevention Resources and Victim Recovery:
- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provides support to children who are victims of child sexual exploitation through emotional peer support for families, content removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and help getting connected to therapists and attorneys. The NCMEC also provides a CyberTipline where CSAM can be reported. Visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources for more information.
- The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force hosts a hub of resources for parents and offers local help to cases involving child sexual exploitation.
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) provides a guide of safety measures to take in order to prevent children from being targeted in CSAM cases.
- Thorn nonprofit organization creates products and programs that combat child sexual abuse at scale. It provides resources for families to help them identify the possible ways children can be exploited online, giving them proper terminology and statistics to keep them educated. For more information, visit https://www.thorn.org/research/child-sexual-abuse-material-csam/
Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).