Federal authorities announced that six people from North Georgia have been charged as part of Operation Restore Justice, a nationwide effort led by the FBI to identify, track, and arrest people accused of child sex abuse. The operation, which ran from April 28 through May 1, resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 people across the country.
The six people charged in the Northern District of Georgia are:
- Austin Hunter Bedingfield, 27, of Douglasville
- Ian Dudar, 26, of Roswell
- Kenneth Frazier, 30, of Powder Springs
- Eduardo Gardea, 26, of Norcross
- Connie Lynn Thompson, 52, of Grantville
- Christopher Welcher, 44, of Grantville
Federal prosecutors say these individuals face a range of charges, including distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, enticement of a child, interstate travel to engage in illicit sex acts, obstruction of justice, and commission of a felony by a registered sex offender.
According to court documents:
- Bedingfield allegedly distributed graphic videos of child sexual abuse to an undercover officer and was arrested on April 30.
- Dudar is accused of buying child sexual abuse material with Bitcoin and was arrested on April 29.
- Frazier allegedly enticed a child, received explicit images, and possessed hundreds of images and videos of children, including infants and toddlers. He was arrested on May 2.
- Gardea is accused of distributing and possessing thousands of images of child sexual abuse and was arrested on April 24.
- Welcher, a registered sex offender, allegedly tried to meet a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex and possessed hundreds of images of child sexual abuse. He was arrested on May 16.
- Thompson allegedly destroyed electronic devices to hide evidence related to Welcher’s alleged crimes and was arrested on May 16.
All six have been indicted by federal grand juries and arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge.
By The Numbers:
- 115 children rescued nationwide
- 205 people arrested nationwide
- 6 people charged in North Georgia
- Ages of defendants range from 26 to 52
In Context: Operation Restore Justice is part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The operation coincided with National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, highlighting ongoing efforts to protect children and raise awareness about exploitation.
Take Action: Anyone with information about child sexual exploitation is urged to contact the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also operates a 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and accepts reports at missingkids.org.
For more information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
