WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following news release:
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA - Online child exploitation, sextortion and violent online criminal networks like '764,' which coerce children into violent or suicidal acts, are sweeping the nation, impacting children across all 50 states.
Each of the 56 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) field offices are involved in tracking and investigating cases of online child exploitation. However, due to antiquated federal laws, prosecutors are forced to rely on a patchwork of statutes that fail to properly penalize violent predators. The lack of laws on the books has emboldened abusers and allowed some of the worst offenders - involved in deadly sextortion and violent online crim...