Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Appoints National Coordinator for Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking

In a memo to all Department of Justice employees, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced today the establishment of a single National Coordinator to lead the fight against child exploitation and human trafficking, with the goal of preventing, prosecuting, and ending human trafficking and child exploitation in America.

Acting Attorney General Blanche appointed Alessandra Serano to serve as the National Coordinator and within 120 days, submit a report to the Deputy Attorney General updating the Department's strategy for combatting child exploitation and human trafficking, and to serve as the Department's liaison to both other federal agencies and outside stakeholders on the development and implementation of initiatives to fight human trafficking and child exploitation.

"Ending human trafficking and the exploitation of children has been and remains one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice," said Acting Attorney General Blanche. "With today's appointment of Ali Serano, we are sending a clear and unmistakable message to predators: we are coming for you. Ali's outstanding record prosecuting those who engage in these heinous acts, together with her unwavering commitment to protecting victims, makes her the ideal choice for this critical role. To every victim: know that we stand with you and are committed to achieving justice for you."

Human trafficking and child exploitation destroy lives and corrode our communities. They inflict profound pain on their victims and serve as immense revenue streams for criminal organizations. These crimes take many forms-from forced labor to sexual abuse-and affect thousands of people annually.

Human traffickers and child predators capitalize on the hidden nature of their crimes. They rely on the silence of their victims and a lack of information sharing among government agencies.

"It is time for the information silos to come down, for the silence to break, and for justice to be done," Acting Attorney General Blanche writes in the memo.

To report child or human trafficking crimes, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or contact us by text or message. File a file a confidential online report at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-traffickingLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action.

Read more information about other forms of child exploitation and abuse and how to report them, visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/report-violations.

Additional Background on Alessandra Serano

Ms, Serano has an extensive history at the Department of Justice, currently serving as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General. Previously she served on detail to the Senate Judiciary Committee and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Cybercrime Section in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2023. She served on various special assignments within the Department of Justice from 2017-2021, including the U.S. Attorney's Office for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in the Office of Legal Policy, where she drafted policy memoranda related to human trafficking, child exploitation, immigration, and reduction of violent crime, among other duties. She served as the National Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and is a subject matter expert in the areas of child exploitation, human and sex trafficking involving minors.

From 2003-2021, Ms. Serano was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of California. She is nationally recognized for her numerous prosecutions in human and sex trafficking and child exploitation cases. She tried over 45 federal felony trials and argued over a dozen appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Serano received numerous national awards including the U.S. Attorney General's Award, the Federal Bar Association's Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award, and Women in Federal Law Enforcement's "Top Prosecutor" Award.