West Haven Woman Faces Federal Charges In Sexual Assault Of Minor: Feds

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven woman faces federal charges in connection with the sexual assault of a minor last year, according to authorities.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday the results of “Operation Restore Justice,” which officials said was a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators.

The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown, according to a news release.

The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

Elizabeth Jordan, 42, of West Haven, and Joshua Bailey, 45, of Milford, were among the five Connecticut residents charged in the operation.

Jordan and Bailey were charged criminal complaint with receipt and distribution of child pornography, transmission of a live visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, and conspiracy to do so.

“As alleged in court documents, on March 12, 2024, Jordan engaged in sexual activity with a minor who was 17 and livestreamed the activity to Bailey using Facebook messenger,” officials wrote in a news release. “A subsequent search of Bailey’s phone revealed a series of screenshots of Jordan and the minor engaged in sexual activity.”

Jordan and Bailey have been detained since August 2024 when they were arrested on related state offenses. Bailey appeared in New Haven federal court on April 29 and Jordan appeared in New Haven federal court yesterday. Jordan has pleaded not guilty to the state charges, according to judicial records. Her next court date is May 23.

“The Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office has long been committed to protecting children by swiftly and vigorously prosecuting offenders,” Acting U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Marc H. Silverman said in a statement. “Sex offenders continue to find new and evolving means to commit their crimes, including using social media and messaging applications to gain access to children, and, as noted specifically in one case we are pursuing, using an AI program to digitally convert real images to create child pornography. I thank our FBI colleagues, and all the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies focusing on this important effort, for staying ahead of the technology curve to investigate child exploitation crimes and apprehend these predators.”

Other Connecticut residents charged in Operation Restore Justice include Steven Taylor, 52, of Hartford, Ryan Perry, 39, of East Hartford, and 47-year-old Stephen Dickson of Colchester.

Read more in the news release here.