Indianapolis, IN
U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett announced Thursday that a Noblesville
man has been charged by federal criminal complaint with distributing
child pornography.
Samuel Barnette, 42, has been charged with
distributing child porn as part of the U.S. Attorney’s ongoing Project
Safe Childhood initiative.
According to the criminal complaint, a witness came forward on Aug. 14
and told police that while she was at Barnette’s home, she accessed his
computer and found the search terms “naked kids” and “naked children”.
In
interviews with the Noblesville Police Department, Barnette admitted to
having received child pornography by email of children from ages two to
18 years old.
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Showing posts with label Project Safe Childhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project Safe Childhood. Show all posts
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Hancock County Man Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography
New Palestine, IN
Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that Justin Cole, age 23, of New Palestine, has been charged by criminal complaint with distributing child pornography as part of the U.S. Attorney’s ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative.
“The mission of our Project Safe Childhood initiative is to investigate and prosecute anyone found to engaged in the sexual exploitation of children,” Hogsett said. “Today’s announcement underscores this serious commitment and should make clear that if you engage in such behavior, you will be found and brought to justice.”
According to the criminal complaint, federal and state law enforcement in Indiana first became involved in this case in July 2012 after an individual in Texas was charged with trading images of child pornography online. An extensive search for other individuals involved in those alleged criminal acts led law enforcement to an e-mail address that was traced to Cole’s residence in New Palestine.
Based on that information, a search warrant was obtained on September 13, 2012, and was subsequently executed by law enforcement officers from the Indiana State Police and the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force. A forensic review allegedly revealed thousands of images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that were stored on a laptop computer, as well as hundreds of videos. The complaint also alleges that materials were located on a desktop computer in the home.
This case was brought as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that Justin Cole, age 23, of New Palestine, has been charged by criminal complaint with distributing child pornography as part of the U.S. Attorney’s ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative.
“The mission of our Project Safe Childhood initiative is to investigate and prosecute anyone found to engaged in the sexual exploitation of children,” Hogsett said. “Today’s announcement underscores this serious commitment and should make clear that if you engage in such behavior, you will be found and brought to justice.”
According to the criminal complaint, federal and state law enforcement in Indiana first became involved in this case in July 2012 after an individual in Texas was charged with trading images of child pornography online. An extensive search for other individuals involved in those alleged criminal acts led law enforcement to an e-mail address that was traced to Cole’s residence in New Palestine.
Based on that information, a search warrant was obtained on September 13, 2012, and was subsequently executed by law enforcement officers from the Indiana State Police and the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force. A forensic review allegedly revealed thousands of images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that were stored on a laptop computer, as well as hundreds of videos. The complaint also alleges that materials were located on a desktop computer in the home.
This case was brought as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Crimes against Children 8-25-12
Abingdon, MD
An Abingdon man who was facing 100 years in a state prison for possession of child pornography will instead serve 18 months at the county jail.
Henry Vernon Hammen III, 31, of the 3200 block of Rock Creek Court, whose trial in Harford County Circuit Court was scheduled to start Monday, instead reported to the Harford County Detention Center to begin his sentence, the day after he returned from vacationing with his family in Virginia, according to court records.
Hammen was indicted in February on 20 counts of possession of child pornography, which carries a sentence of up to five years for each count.
Boston, MA
An Abingdon man who was facing 100 years in a state prison for possession of child pornography will instead serve 18 months at the county jail.
Henry Vernon Hammen III, 31, of the 3200 block of Rock Creek Court, whose trial in Harford County Circuit Court was scheduled to start Monday, instead reported to the Harford County Detention Center to begin his sentence, the day after he returned from vacationing with his family in Virginia, according to court records.
Hammen was indicted in February on 20 counts of possession of child pornography, which carries a sentence of up to five years for each count.
Boston, MA
A
Whitinsville lawyer, who is also a Boy Scout leader and part-time
middle school teacher, is arrested at his home Tuesday morning and
charged with possessing child pornography and enticing children.
Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL
Monday, August 6, 2012
Crimes against Children 8-6-12
Galveston, TX
A nine-year-old boy is in foster care after police found evidence that he may have been confined to a box by his parents -- and that's not all.
Two weeks ago, the boy disappeared from his house. Police and neighbors searched for three hours before locating him.
The boy told police that he had run away from home and the reasons he gave compelled investigators to dig deeper.
Galveston Police declined to comment but a CPS spokesperson said the boy complained that he was confined to a plywood box at home.
The Galveston Daily News reports that police searched the boy’s house for evidence of child pornography and accused the boy’s father of using a cell phone to take a naked picture of his son, according to an affidavit filed by CPS.
Rochester, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Anthony Davis, 43, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 30 years, a $500,000 fine or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in July 2012, city of Rochester Police received a report from a cooperating witness who found a sexually explicit video of a 7-year-old minor on a smartphone belonging to Davis. The complaint alleges that the witness was able to identify the minor victim and Davis’s voice from the video. Rochester police executed a search warrant and seized the defendant’s telephones. Hundreds of suspected images of child pornography were found on two telephones that were seized, including the video of the 7-year-old minor that Davis allegedly produced. The defendant is currently facing state charges, including sexual abuse, in Monroe County.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Jacksonville, FL
United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Alfredo Roberto Townsend (48, Columbus, Georgia) to 90 months in federal prison and a 15-year term of supervised release for receiving child pornography over the Internet. Townsend was also ordered to register as a sex offender and forfeit his computer media. Townsend pleaded guilty to this charge on February 23, 2012, and has been in custody since his arrest on May 3, 2011.
According to court documents, in February 2011, an undercover officer with the Florida Attorney General’s Office connected to the Internet to identify individuals using a particular computer network to share files containing child pornography. For several weeks during February and March 2011, the undercover officer was able to track a computer that was sharing files containing child pornography. The computer belonged to Alfredo Roberto Townsend. During this period, the computer was using different Internet connections at several locations, including Townsend’s permanent residence in Columbus, Georgia; his residence in an apartment complex in Jacksonville, Florida; and a temporary housing unit on Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
According to court documents, on May 3, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Townsend’s apartment residence on Kernan Boulevard in Jacksonville. During an interview, Townsend indicated that he traveled to Georgia about every two weeks and admitted to using other unsecured wireless networks. Townsend admitted that he started downloading child pornography out of “sick curiosity” and that he had been downloading child pornography prior to the middle of 2009. He stated that there were images of children as young as 1 year old and up to 15 years old on his computer and admitted that he primarily looks at prepubescent children. A search of Townsend’s laptop computer revealed that it contained 27 images and 245 videos of child pornography, all downloaded during the period from August 27, 2009 to May 3, 2011.
Rochester, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Marques Williams, 26, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with sex trafficking of a minor. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the FBI received information that the defendant advertised a 15-year-old female as a prostitute on the Internet classified advertising service, Backpage.com. The minor victim was interviewed by the FBI and said that, between July 2011 and September 2011, she worked as a prostitute for Williams. According to the victim, the defendant taught the girl how to engage in prostitution activities and set the prices for her prostitution activities. The minor further stated that Williams took her to the East Avenue Inn in Rochester for prostitution purposes and paid for the room since she was underage. The victim also told the FBI that Williams took pictures of her for the Backpage.com advertisements.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Albuquerque, NM
This morning in federal court, Wilson Harry, Jr., 55, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Kirtland, New Mexico, pled guilty to an indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that, during today’s plea hearing, Harry admitted sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Navajo girl in a residence in Shiprock, New Mexico, during the summer of 2009. Specifically, Harry admitted fondling the child by placing his hand on her genitals under her clothing.
A nine-year-old boy is in foster care after police found evidence that he may have been confined to a box by his parents -- and that's not all.
Two weeks ago, the boy disappeared from his house. Police and neighbors searched for three hours before locating him.
The boy told police that he had run away from home and the reasons he gave compelled investigators to dig deeper.
Galveston Police declined to comment but a CPS spokesperson said the boy complained that he was confined to a plywood box at home.
The Galveston Daily News reports that police searched the boy’s house for evidence of child pornography and accused the boy’s father of using a cell phone to take a naked picture of his son, according to an affidavit filed by CPS.
Rochester, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Anthony Davis, 43, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 30 years, a $500,000 fine or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in July 2012, city of Rochester Police received a report from a cooperating witness who found a sexually explicit video of a 7-year-old minor on a smartphone belonging to Davis. The complaint alleges that the witness was able to identify the minor victim and Davis’s voice from the video. Rochester police executed a search warrant and seized the defendant’s telephones. Hundreds of suspected images of child pornography were found on two telephones that were seized, including the video of the 7-year-old minor that Davis allegedly produced. The defendant is currently facing state charges, including sexual abuse, in Monroe County.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Jacksonville, FL
United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Alfredo Roberto Townsend (48, Columbus, Georgia) to 90 months in federal prison and a 15-year term of supervised release for receiving child pornography over the Internet. Townsend was also ordered to register as a sex offender and forfeit his computer media. Townsend pleaded guilty to this charge on February 23, 2012, and has been in custody since his arrest on May 3, 2011.
According to court documents, in February 2011, an undercover officer with the Florida Attorney General’s Office connected to the Internet to identify individuals using a particular computer network to share files containing child pornography. For several weeks during February and March 2011, the undercover officer was able to track a computer that was sharing files containing child pornography. The computer belonged to Alfredo Roberto Townsend. During this period, the computer was using different Internet connections at several locations, including Townsend’s permanent residence in Columbus, Georgia; his residence in an apartment complex in Jacksonville, Florida; and a temporary housing unit on Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
According to court documents, on May 3, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Townsend’s apartment residence on Kernan Boulevard in Jacksonville. During an interview, Townsend indicated that he traveled to Georgia about every two weeks and admitted to using other unsecured wireless networks. Townsend admitted that he started downloading child pornography out of “sick curiosity” and that he had been downloading child pornography prior to the middle of 2009. He stated that there were images of children as young as 1 year old and up to 15 years old on his computer and admitted that he primarily looks at prepubescent children. A search of Townsend’s laptop computer revealed that it contained 27 images and 245 videos of child pornography, all downloaded during the period from August 27, 2009 to May 3, 2011.
Rochester, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Marques Williams, 26, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with sex trafficking of a minor. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the FBI received information that the defendant advertised a 15-year-old female as a prostitute on the Internet classified advertising service, Backpage.com. The minor victim was interviewed by the FBI and said that, between July 2011 and September 2011, she worked as a prostitute for Williams. According to the victim, the defendant taught the girl how to engage in prostitution activities and set the prices for her prostitution activities. The minor further stated that Williams took her to the East Avenue Inn in Rochester for prostitution purposes and paid for the room since she was underage. The victim also told the FBI that Williams took pictures of her for the Backpage.com advertisements.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Albuquerque, NM
This morning in federal court, Wilson Harry, Jr., 55, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Kirtland, New Mexico, pled guilty to an indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that, during today’s plea hearing, Harry admitted sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Navajo girl in a residence in Shiprock, New Mexico, during the summer of 2009. Specifically, Harry admitted fondling the child by placing his hand on her genitals under her clothing.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Crimes against Children 8-3-12
Trenton, NJ
A Hunterdon County, New Jersey man today admitted distributing images of child sexual abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
John Livoti, 42, of Hampton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. Livoti is currently in federal custody.
Livoti admitted that from May 2011 through February 2012 he used peer-to-peer file sharing software to download and to share images of child pornography through the Internet. He accessed the Internet through his neighbor’s wireless Internet connection. He further admitted that for a period of time in 2011, he paid for a minor, living in another state, to access the peer-to-peer network so that the minor could access child pornography.
Special agents of the FBI and other law enforcement executed a search warrant at Livoti’s apartment in Hampton, New Jersey, on February 2, 2012. Law enforcement seized a netbook computer and an external hard drive that contained child pornography.
Because of his prior convictions for sexual assault and for possession of child pornography, the count of distributing child pornography to which Livoti pleaded guilty is punishable by a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 40 years and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for November 15, 2012.
Cincinnati, OH
The federal charges come on the heels of Klepperich’s 2011 guilty
plea in state court in Wright County on one count of possession of
pornography by a sex offender. The sentence in that case mandated that
Klepperich, whose prison term was stayed, refrain from possessing any
drugs, drug paraphernalia, pornography, or other sexually explicit
material.
On July 6, 2012, a month after Klepperich was arrested by local law enforcement officers for violating the terms of his 2011 stay of sentence, an unnamed individual informed authorities of a computer thumb drive allegedly belonging to Klepperich that contained child pornography. A subsequent forensic examination of that thumb drive yielded approximately 4,270 images and 56 videos of child pornography. That review led to additional investigation and resulted in the federal charges now filed.
Klepperich’s criminal history includes a 1997 McLeod County, Minnesota conviction for sexual penetration of the minor female he was babysitting and a 2009 conviction in Hennepin County for failure to register as a predatory offender.
New Orleans, LA
QUENTIN KITTEL, age 21, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to five years in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten. Specifically, KITTEL had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving images depicting the sexual exploitation and victimization of children. KITTEL will also have to register as a sex offender.
According to courts documents, between fall 2009 and October 2011, KITTEL met two juvenile females, the first of whom was 16 years old and the second of whom was 12 years old. After meeting each female, KITTEL began communicating with them via text message. Soon after meeting, KITTEL requested and encouraged the victims to take sexually explicit pictures of themselves send them to him via text message. In his requests, KITTEL described in detail how he wanted each victim to pose and what he wanted her to do in the photos. After the victims complied and sent him sexually explicit images, KITTEL then sent the images from his cellular telephone to his personal e-mail account.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Houston, TX
Michael Johnathan Radcliff, 45, has been handed a total sentence of 121 months for distribution and possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Radcliff pleaded guilty to the charges November 4, 2011.
Today, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced Radcliff and further ordered he serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of that prison term. Judge Harmon further ordered he pay $3,500 in restitution to a known victim. Radcliff is also required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began when agents with the FBI in Dallas were conducting an undercover investigation into persons making child pornography available online. At that time, agents came across an individual in Houston sharing child pornography using peer-to-peer file-sharing software. The matter was then transferred to Houston and the FBI Innocent Images Task Force continued the investigation.
On April 29, 2011, agents executed a federal search warrant at Radcliff’s residence in Houston, at which time Radcliff admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography on the Internet. During the search, a PowerSpec desktop computer, a Toshiba laptop and a thumb drive were seized and a subsequent forensic exam resulted in the discovery of images of child pornography. At least 949 images and 92 videos of child pornography were found, some of which depicted prepubescent girls engaging in sexual intercourse and oral sex with adult males.
A Hunterdon County, New Jersey man today admitted distributing images of child sexual abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
John Livoti, 42, of Hampton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. Livoti is currently in federal custody.
Livoti admitted that from May 2011 through February 2012 he used peer-to-peer file sharing software to download and to share images of child pornography through the Internet. He accessed the Internet through his neighbor’s wireless Internet connection. He further admitted that for a period of time in 2011, he paid for a minor, living in another state, to access the peer-to-peer network so that the minor could access child pornography.
Special agents of the FBI and other law enforcement executed a search warrant at Livoti’s apartment in Hampton, New Jersey, on February 2, 2012. Law enforcement seized a netbook computer and an external hard drive that contained child pornography.
Because of his prior convictions for sexual assault and for possession of child pornography, the count of distributing child pornography to which Livoti pleaded guilty is punishable by a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 40 years and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for November 15, 2012.
Cincinnati, OH
A veteran Cincinnati police officer is accused of possessing child pornography.
Authorities
said 42-year-old Randolph Grote resigned from the Cincinnati department
this week and was indicted by a federal grand jury.
They
say images of child pornography were found on his computer and storage
devices last year during a national sex crimes investigation.
The Cincinnati Enquirer ( http://cin.ci/PqqEsV ) reports that Grote is a former Hamilton County probation officer who joined the Cincinnati police department in 2003.
Earlier this week, Jeremy Lee Klepperich, a 28-year-old registered
sex offender from Woodland Township in central Minnesota, was charged by
way of federal criminal complaint with possessing child pornography.
The complaint alleges that between April 21, 2011, and June 2, 2012,
Klepperich possessed a computer, thumb drives, and a cell phone that
contained visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit
conduct. Klepperich was held in the Wright County, Minnesota jail until
today, when he was transferred to federal custody following his initial
appearance in federal court.
On July 6, 2012, a month after Klepperich was arrested by local law enforcement officers for violating the terms of his 2011 stay of sentence, an unnamed individual informed authorities of a computer thumb drive allegedly belonging to Klepperich that contained child pornography. A subsequent forensic examination of that thumb drive yielded approximately 4,270 images and 56 videos of child pornography. That review led to additional investigation and resulted in the federal charges now filed.
Klepperich’s criminal history includes a 1997 McLeod County, Minnesota conviction for sexual penetration of the minor female he was babysitting and a 2009 conviction in Hennepin County for failure to register as a predatory offender.
New Orleans, LA
QUENTIN KITTEL, age 21, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to five years in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten. Specifically, KITTEL had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving images depicting the sexual exploitation and victimization of children. KITTEL will also have to register as a sex offender.
According to courts documents, between fall 2009 and October 2011, KITTEL met two juvenile females, the first of whom was 16 years old and the second of whom was 12 years old. After meeting each female, KITTEL began communicating with them via text message. Soon after meeting, KITTEL requested and encouraged the victims to take sexually explicit pictures of themselves send them to him via text message. In his requests, KITTEL described in detail how he wanted each victim to pose and what he wanted her to do in the photos. After the victims complied and sent him sexually explicit images, KITTEL then sent the images from his cellular telephone to his personal e-mail account.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Houston, TX
Michael Johnathan Radcliff, 45, has been handed a total sentence of 121 months for distribution and possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Radcliff pleaded guilty to the charges November 4, 2011.
Today, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced Radcliff and further ordered he serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of that prison term. Judge Harmon further ordered he pay $3,500 in restitution to a known victim. Radcliff is also required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began when agents with the FBI in Dallas were conducting an undercover investigation into persons making child pornography available online. At that time, agents came across an individual in Houston sharing child pornography using peer-to-peer file-sharing software. The matter was then transferred to Houston and the FBI Innocent Images Task Force continued the investigation.
On April 29, 2011, agents executed a federal search warrant at Radcliff’s residence in Houston, at which time Radcliff admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography on the Internet. During the search, a PowerSpec desktop computer, a Toshiba laptop and a thumb drive were seized and a subsequent forensic exam resulted in the discovery of images of child pornography. At least 949 images and 92 videos of child pornography were found, some of which depicted prepubescent girls engaging in sexual intercourse and oral sex with adult males.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Crimes against Children 7-28-12
Pocono, PA
A Monroe County man was charged Wednesday with possession and online distribution of child pornography and possession of hundreds of child-porn images.
Helge Francois, 51, of 6373 Baltic Terrace, Coolbaugh Township, was arrested following a month long investigation by county detectives and the Pocono Mountain Regional police.
County Detective Brian Webbe on June 27 identified Francois' computer as actively trading child porn online, police said.
The search of his house found that Francois had hundreds of child-porn images on three external hard drives for his computer, police said.
He was charged with 30 counts of possessing child porn, two counts of disseminating sexual images of children and criminal use of a communications facility, the Internet.
Nova Scotia, Canada
A 62-year-old man from Lunenburg County has been charged with accessing and possessing child pornography, RCMP confirm.
RCMP officers executed a search warrant last week at a residence in Lilydale, N.S.
The man was later released on the conditions he stay in Nova Scotia and not posses any form of pornography.
Olympia, WA
Capital Playhouse interim artistic director Troy A. Fisher, who was missing for three days this week and said he can’t remember where he was, has been arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography.
According to an Olympia Police Department news release:
After Fisher went missing Sunday, detectives searched his home for clues about where he might have gone. A computer forensics specialist found pornographic photos involving children on his computer.
A search warrant for the computer has been granted, and additional forensic analysis is being performed.
A Monroe County man was charged Wednesday with possession and online distribution of child pornography and possession of hundreds of child-porn images.
Helge Francois, 51, of 6373 Baltic Terrace, Coolbaugh Township, was arrested following a month long investigation by county detectives and the Pocono Mountain Regional police.
County Detective Brian Webbe on June 27 identified Francois' computer as actively trading child porn online, police said.
The search of his house found that Francois had hundreds of child-porn images on three external hard drives for his computer, police said.
He was charged with 30 counts of possessing child porn, two counts of disseminating sexual images of children and criminal use of a communications facility, the Internet.
Nova Scotia, Canada
A 62-year-old man from Lunenburg County has been charged with accessing and possessing child pornography, RCMP confirm.
RCMP officers executed a search warrant last week at a residence in Lilydale, N.S.
The man was later released on the conditions he stay in Nova Scotia and not posses any form of pornography.
Olympia, WA
Capital Playhouse interim artistic director Troy A. Fisher, who was missing for three days this week and said he can’t remember where he was, has been arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography.
According to an Olympia Police Department news release:
After Fisher went missing Sunday, detectives searched his home for clues about where he might have gone. A computer forensics specialist found pornographic photos involving children on his computer.
A search warrant for the computer has been granted, and additional forensic analysis is being performed.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Crimes against Children 7-11-12
Denver, CO
Jesse Evans, age 30, of Denver, Colorado, was arrested based on a criminal complaint late last week on charges of production and possession of child pornography, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Denver Police Department announced. The criminal complaint was obtained on June 29, 2012. The arrest took place without incident that same day.
Evans has appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver on July 6, 2012, where a U.S. Magistrate Judge found that there was probable cause that he committed the child exploitation crimes. The magistrate judge also ordered Evans held in custody without bond pending a resolution of his case.
According to the facts contained in the affidavit associated with the criminal complaint, on January 3, 2012, a Denver Police Department (DPD) detective initiated a child exploitation investigation. The DPD detective, acting in an undercover capacity, downloaded child pornography from another computer that was using peer-to-peer software to share files. The IP address the detective was downloading the files from had file names indicative of child pornography.
Baltimore, MD
U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg sentenced Michael Gavel, III, age 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to seven years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distributing child pornography. Judge Legg ordered that upon his release from prison, Gavel must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In addition, Judge Legg ordered that Gavel pay restitution totaling $1,000 to two victims identified during previous child pornography investigations, whose images Gavel had downloaded from the Internet.
According to the plea agreement, on January 5, 2011, an undercover Baltimore County Police detective downloaded six files from a file sharing program Gavel was running from his home computer. The files contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Baltimore County Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for Gavel’s residence and seized a laptop computer and several thumb drives. A forensic examination of the computer and media revealed that there were over 600 images of children, including prepubescent minors, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence. During an interview, Gavel admitted that he used a file sharing program to download, trade, and view child pornography and made the files publicly available for download.
Albuquerque, NM
This morning in federal court, Justin Gray, 34, of Ruidoso, New Mexico, pled guilty to a receipt of a visual depiction of a minor child engaged in sexually explicit conduct charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the plea agreement requires that Gray be sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Gray also will be required to register as a sex offender.
Gray was indicted on July 13, 2011, in a six-count indictment charging him with three counts of distribution and attempted distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct; one count of receipt of visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and two counts of possession of matter containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to the indictment, Gray distributed child pornography in October 2010, November 2010 and February 2011; received child pornography in September 2010; and possessed child pornography in March 2011.
Springfield, IL
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 10, 2012, Donald R. Campbell, 49, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Benton, Illinois. Campbell’s arraignment on the charges is currently set for Monday, July 16, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the federal court in Benton, Illinois.
Both counts of the indictment charge Campbell with enticing a minor to engage in sex acts while he videotaped the events.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force and a number of state and local law enforcement agencies.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
New Bern, NC
United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Matthew Bryan Warford, 21, to 180 months’ imprisonment, followed by a life time of supervised release. A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment on October 25, 2011. On February 16, 2012, Warford pled guilty to transportation of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2). According to the indictment on August 22, 2010, Warford transported images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to the investigation, in March 2011, law enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child pornography had been uploaded to Photobucket.com. Law enforcement tracked the IP address to Warford’s Wilmington, North Carolina residence. While conducting an interview, law enforcement learned that Warford was a registered sex offender from a 2009 conviction.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jesse Evans, age 30, of Denver, Colorado, was arrested based on a criminal complaint late last week on charges of production and possession of child pornography, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Denver Police Department announced. The criminal complaint was obtained on June 29, 2012. The arrest took place without incident that same day.
Evans has appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver on July 6, 2012, where a U.S. Magistrate Judge found that there was probable cause that he committed the child exploitation crimes. The magistrate judge also ordered Evans held in custody without bond pending a resolution of his case.
According to the facts contained in the affidavit associated with the criminal complaint, on January 3, 2012, a Denver Police Department (DPD) detective initiated a child exploitation investigation. The DPD detective, acting in an undercover capacity, downloaded child pornography from another computer that was using peer-to-peer software to share files. The IP address the detective was downloading the files from had file names indicative of child pornography.
Baltimore, MD
U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg sentenced Michael Gavel, III, age 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to seven years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distributing child pornography. Judge Legg ordered that upon his release from prison, Gavel must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In addition, Judge Legg ordered that Gavel pay restitution totaling $1,000 to two victims identified during previous child pornography investigations, whose images Gavel had downloaded from the Internet.
According to the plea agreement, on January 5, 2011, an undercover Baltimore County Police detective downloaded six files from a file sharing program Gavel was running from his home computer. The files contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Baltimore County Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for Gavel’s residence and seized a laptop computer and several thumb drives. A forensic examination of the computer and media revealed that there were over 600 images of children, including prepubescent minors, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence. During an interview, Gavel admitted that he used a file sharing program to download, trade, and view child pornography and made the files publicly available for download.
Albuquerque, NM
This morning in federal court, Justin Gray, 34, of Ruidoso, New Mexico, pled guilty to a receipt of a visual depiction of a minor child engaged in sexually explicit conduct charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the plea agreement requires that Gray be sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Gray also will be required to register as a sex offender.
Gray was indicted on July 13, 2011, in a six-count indictment charging him with three counts of distribution and attempted distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct; one count of receipt of visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and two counts of possession of matter containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to the indictment, Gray distributed child pornography in October 2010, November 2010 and February 2011; received child pornography in September 2010; and possessed child pornography in March 2011.
Springfield, IL
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 10, 2012, Donald R. Campbell, 49, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Benton, Illinois. Campbell’s arraignment on the charges is currently set for Monday, July 16, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the federal court in Benton, Illinois.
Both counts of the indictment charge Campbell with enticing a minor to engage in sex acts while he videotaped the events.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force and a number of state and local law enforcement agencies.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
New Bern, NC
United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Matthew Bryan Warford, 21, to 180 months’ imprisonment, followed by a life time of supervised release. A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment on October 25, 2011. On February 16, 2012, Warford pled guilty to transportation of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2). According to the indictment on August 22, 2010, Warford transported images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to the investigation, in March 2011, law enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child pornography had been uploaded to Photobucket.com. Law enforcement tracked the IP address to Warford’s Wilmington, North Carolina residence. While conducting an interview, law enforcement learned that Warford was a registered sex offender from a 2009 conviction.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Crimes against Children II 7-2-12
Rochester, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Don MacIntyre, 33, of Rochester, New York, who was convicted of possession child pornography, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 15 years’ supervised release by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, who handled the case, stated that during the execution of a search warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Task Force at a residence MacIntyre shared with co-defendant Robert Vogler, law enforcement officers found devices containing child pornography. Macintyre admitted to downloading images and videos of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.
Robert Vogler was also convicted of possession of child pornography and will be sentenced on August 20, 2012 by Judge Larimer.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Don MacIntyre, 33, of Rochester, New York, who was convicted of possession child pornography, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 15 years’ supervised release by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, who handled the case, stated that during the execution of a search warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Task Force at a residence MacIntyre shared with co-defendant Robert Vogler, law enforcement officers found devices containing child pornography. Macintyre admitted to downloading images and videos of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.
Robert Vogler was also convicted of possession of child pornography and will be sentenced on August 20, 2012 by Judge Larimer.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Crimes Against Children 6-5-12
Wichita, KS
A Canadian man has been charged with picking up a 12-year-old girl in El Dorado, Kansas, and taking her out of state for the purpose of having sex with her, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Stewart Kenneth Cody McGill, 20, Bewdley, Ontario, is charged with one count of transporting a minor out of state for the purpose of having sex. A criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges that on May 31, the girl’s father reported to the El Dorado Police Department that she was missing from home.
Investigators tracked the girl’s cell phone to an area near Potterville, Michigan. At about 2:45 p.m. on June 1, police located McGill’s car on the shoulder of a dirt road in rural Michigan. He was arrested and the girl was taken into protective custody. Investigators learned McGill had met the girl online playing “World of Warcraft” and had struck up a relationship with her.
Buffalo, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Harold N. Hasse, 56, of Lockport, New York, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 10 years’ supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward H. White, who handled the case, stated that in June 2009, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at the defendant’s Dysinger Road apartment and seized Hasse’s computer. A forensic examination revealed that the computer contained 266 videos and 118 images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
A Canadian man has been charged with picking up a 12-year-old girl in El Dorado, Kansas, and taking her out of state for the purpose of having sex with her, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Stewart Kenneth Cody McGill, 20, Bewdley, Ontario, is charged with one count of transporting a minor out of state for the purpose of having sex. A criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges that on May 31, the girl’s father reported to the El Dorado Police Department that she was missing from home.
Investigators tracked the girl’s cell phone to an area near Potterville, Michigan. At about 2:45 p.m. on June 1, police located McGill’s car on the shoulder of a dirt road in rural Michigan. He was arrested and the girl was taken into protective custody. Investigators learned McGill had met the girl online playing “World of Warcraft” and had struck up a relationship with her.
Buffalo, NY
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Harold N. Hasse, 56, of Lockport, New York, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 10 years’ supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward H. White, who handled the case, stated that in June 2009, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at the defendant’s Dysinger Road apartment and seized Hasse’s computer. A forensic examination revealed that the computer contained 266 videos and 118 images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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