18 Child Porn Websites Shut Down Result of Joint U.S.-China Cooperation

In another example of the increasingly international nature of crime, a man was recently indicted on federal charges of running 18 Chinese-language child pornography websites out of his apartment in Flushing, New York. The websites were being advertised to Chinese-speaking individuals in China, in the U.S., and other countries.
This case serves as an example of something else as well: the increasingly international nature of law enforcement. While the FBI investigated this case in the U.S., we received what U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York called “extensive cooperation and assistance” from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
How it all started. In late 2010, the FBI—through our legal attaché office in Beijing—received information from Chinese officials about their investigation of a large-scale child pornography website housed on U.S. servers. And one of their main suspects, a Chinese-born man, was living in New York. So our New York office opened an investigation under our Innocent Images National Initiative and instituted an undercover operation.
The investigation. While the main webpage advertised the various categories of pornographic pictures that were available, our undercover agents—with the help of an FBI Chinese language specialist—discovered that in order to actually view, post, or download the pornography, you had to pay a membership fee ($25 quarterly, $50 annually, and $100 for a “lifetime” membership). The website conveniently accepted all payment types—credit cards, wire and bank transfers, online payments, and even cash that could be mailed to what turned out to be a money transfer office in New York. After becoming “members,” the agents saw hundreds of disturbing pictures and videos of children of all different nationalities engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Through our investigative efforts, we were able to determine that the site—and its related online payment system—resided on the servers of a web hosting company in Dallas and that the subscriber of the website domain lived in Flushing. We also traced two e-mail accounts—one featured on the site and the other affiliated with the website domain—back to the same individual. Through billing information, we learned that the man had made about $20,000 per month from his subscribers. We believe he had been operating the site since at least 2007.
After the arrest, we identified 17 additional Chinese-language child pornography websites he allegedly maintained and operated. We also seized two servers in Dallas where those sites were hosted. All 18 websites have been shut down.
During the course of the operation, FBI and Chinese investigators and prosecutors met to discuss the case and to talk about future cooperation on similar cases.
One concrete outcome of this partnership? The Ministry of Public Security sent its first Chinese officer to join the FBI’s Innocent Images International Task Force and receive specialized training on such topics as legal principles, emerging trends and technologies, and investigative techniques. Once the fall 2011 training session is completed, the task force will number 100 officers in 43 countries. Since its launch in 2004, the task force has built an international network of Internet child sexual exploitation investigators who share intelligence and work joint operations across national borders. Exactly what’s needed to combat the many child pornographers using the Internet to extend their nefarious reach around the globe.

Cyber Alerts for Parents & Kids Tip #1: Be Prudent When Posting Images Online

With the explosive popularity of smartphones and social media platforms, sharing photos has never been easier. Millions of pictures are uploaded to the web every day, and camera-enabled mobile phones are the perennial top-selling consumer electronic devices. So it’s a safe bet that even more photos will be cropping up on image-hosting communities and personal websites.

But what exactly is being shared?

In some cases, you might unwittingly be letting others know where you live and work and your travel patterns and habits. These details can be revealed through bits of information embedded in images taken with smartphones and some digital cameras and then shared on public websites. The information, called metadata, often includes the times, dates, and geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) where images are taken.

Disabling the Location Function Disabling the photo geotagging function on mobile phones varies by manufacturer, but is generally a straightforward process. On one of the most popular models, users can simply navigate to the following folders: Settings > General > Location services The path to location-based services options varies from phone to phone. Users should take special care when enabling or disabling location services (which may include navigation functions), or disabling applications (like photos) accessing the GPS data. Consult your phone manufacturer’s guidelines for more information.

While the geospatial data can be helpful in myriad web applications that plot image locations, it also opens a door for criminals, including burglars, stalkers, and predators. It’s not a stretch to imagine young teens’ images of their ventures to the mall or beach being culled by web predators and meticulously plotted on online maps.

“It’s not something we think is happening. We know it’s happening,” said Kevin Gutfleish, head of the Innocent Images Intelligence Unit in the FBI’s Cyber Division. The unit provides analysis and assessments of emerging threats for the operational arm of the Innocent Images National Initiative, which targets child pornography and sexual predators.

“The way that images are being posted in real time allows others who have access to see the metadata and see where the photos were taken and reveal their location at that time,” Gutfleish said.

An intelligence analyst in the FBI Criminal Division’s Crimes Against Children Unit said these details can reveal a “pattern of life,” particularly when images posted over time are clustered in geographic locations.

“It doesn’t have to be in real time to be dangerous,” said the analyst. “Historical data can tell you a lot about individuals’ day-to-day habits and may indicate where they are most likely to be at a certain time.”

Some popular social media sites automatically scrub metadata from images before they are published. On the other hand, some leverage the data to display location information beside the images. An amateur sleuth could easily pinpoint a location using the available latitude and longitude coordinates.

“Even if they don’t intentionally say where they are, the photos could reveal that,” Gutfleish said. “And that could present a potential danger.”

Gutfleish said he has seen an increase in intelligence reports and complaints about the potential misuse of the metadata embedded in photos. He said the proliferation of online tools that aggregate personal information from social networking and image hosting sites is enough to urge a level of caution.

He suggests mobile phone users at the very least check the “options” or “settings” on their phones (and any applicable mobile applications) to see if they are sharing location information. In many cases, the default setting is to share location information.

“It’s just a best-practice if you don’t want to give out your location,” Gutfleish says. “We simply want to make sure people know this is happening.”

Operation Cross Country Nationwide Sweep Recovers Child Victims of Prostitution

In the continuing effort to address the national problem of child sex trafficking, the FBI and our partners today announced the results of a three-day law enforcement action in which 79 child victims of prostitution were recovered and more than 100 pimps were arrested.
Operation Cross Country VI, part of the Bureau’s Innocence Lost National Initiative, was conducted over the past 72 hours in 57 cities around the country with the help of state and local law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
“Child prostitution remains a major threat to children across America,” said Kevin Perkins, acting executive assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “It is a violent and deplorable crime, and we are working with our partners to disrupt and put behind bars individuals and members of criminal enterprises who would sexually exploit children.”

Kevin Perkins, right, acting executive assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, and Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, brief the media on Operation Cross Country.

The Innocence Lost National Initiative was launched in 2003 by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division in partnership with NCMEC and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
To date, 47 Innocence Lost Task Forces and working groups have recovered more than 2,200 children from the streets. The investigations and subsequent 1,017 convictions of pimps, madams, and their associates who exploit children through prostitution have resulted in lengthy sentences—including multiple sentences of 25 years to life in prison—and the seizure of more than $3 million in assets.
Operation Cross Country national sweeps usually grow out of local law enforcement actions—officers and other task force members target places of prostitution such as truck stops, casinos, street “tracks,” and Internet websites. Initial arrests are often for violations of local and state laws relating to prostitution or solicitation. Intelligence gathered from those arrested can reveal organized efforts to prostitute women and children across many states. FBI agents further develop this information in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section to bring federal charges against pimps and other sex traffickers.
“It is clear that child prostitution and sex trafficking do not just occur somewhere else on the other side of the world,” said Ernie Allen, president of NCMEC. “These insidious crimes are occurring in American cities, and the victims are American kids.”
At a press conference today at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Allen thanked the FBI for its leadership over the past decade in fighting domestic sex trafficking. The Bureau, in turn, expressed gratitude to the more than 8,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers representing 414 separate agencies who participated in the most recent Operation Cross Country and ongoing enforcement efforts.
In addition to its enforcement successes, the Innocence Lost National Initiative brings state and federal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and social service providers from across the country to NCMEC, where the groups receive training together.

New Top Ten Fugitive Child Pornographer Added to the List

Eric Justin Toth, a former private-school teacher and camp counselor accused of possessing and producing child pornography, is the newest addition to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.
Toth, who also goes by the name David Bussone, has been on the run since warrants for his arrest were issued in Maryland and the District of Columbia in 2008. There is a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to Toth’s arrest, and we need your help to locate him.

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“We have always counted on the public’s support to help capture fugitives and solve cases,” said Mike Kortan, assistant director of our Office of Public Affairs. “The addition of Eric Toth to the Top Ten list illustrates how important it is to get this individual off the streets and into custody.”
Our investigation began in June 2008, after pornographic images were found on a camera that had been in Toth’s possession at the private school where he worked. Since becoming a fugitive, he is believed to have traveled to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Investigators believe he lived in Arizona as recently as 2009.
Toth turned 30 on February 13. He is 6’3” tall and weighs about 155 pounds. He has brown hair, green eyes, and a medium complexion. He has a mole under his left eye.
Toth is well educated—he attended Cornell University for a year and then transferred to Purdue University, where he earned an education degree. He is described as a computer expert and is believed to regularly use the Internet and social networking websites. He may advertise online as a tutor or male nanny.
Since its creation in 1950, the Top Ten list has been invaluable to the FBI, helping us capture some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals. Of the 495 fugitives named to the list, 465 have been apprehended or located. That level of success would not be possible without the strong support of the public, which has helped capture 153 of the Top Ten fugitives.
Over the years, we have created several digital tools to spread the word about our fugitives program, including a “widget” that can be added to anyone’s website or blog. The widget is an interactive application featuring information on all Top Ten fugitives, along with continuous feeds of FBI news and stories that are automatically updated. It’s easy to add to almost any website, including Facebook and other social networking sites, and it currently appears on hundreds of websites around the world.
In addition, more than 60,000 people subscribe to our Ten Most Wanted Fugitives category through e-mail updates and listen to our Wanted by the FBI podcasts. The Wanted by the FBI section on our website is viewed by over a million people every month. Also, our National Digital Billboard Initiative partners, who currently have 3,200 billboards in 42 states, are donating space to help publicize the newest Top Ten fugitive.
Our modern electronic methods allow us to reach more people than ever, but we still need your help. If you have any information about Eric Justin Toth, or any of the fugitives on our Top Ten list, please contact your local FBI office or submit a tip electronically on our website.

Infant Abductions A Violent Trend Emerges

It is relatively rare for infants to be abducted by strangers. But it does happen. And recent analysis of abduction cases by the FBI suggests there are new and troubling trends for expectant parents to be aware of, including women kidnappers using violence to commit their crimes and social media to target their victims.
In April, for example, a 30-year-old Texas woman shot and killed a 28-year-old mother while kidnapping her three-day-old son from a pediatric center. The infant was recovered six hours later.

	Exercising Good Sense Online and at Home Mothers and fathers are understandably absorbed with their new babies, but they should still exercise caution and common sense when using social networking sites online: - Make sure your online privacy settings do not allow strangers—and possible offenders—to gain access to personal information such as where you plan to be with your baby at a certain time or on a certain day. Inadequate privacy settings also allow others to track your movements using embedded information in pictures posted online. - Our Crimes Against Children Unit suggests that new parents may not want to display the traditional pink or blue balloons outside their homes announcing a baby shower or a new arrival. “Doing so will advise random strangers that you have a new baby in the house or will soon,” said Intelligence Analyst Ashli-Jade Douglas. - People in general and especially new and expectant mothers should be aware of their surroundings whenever they are out in public. “Is someone too interested in your pregnancy or your newborn, asking too many questions or sounding odd?” Douglas asked. “Those may be red flags.” - Lastly, any type of incident or odd behavior should be reported to local authorities. “You may not think it’s important,” Douglas explained, “but that type of information allows us to track incidents and it could help prevent future abductions.”

“For the most part, women are no longer going into hospitals and dressing in nurse’s uniforms and walking out with children,” said Ashli-Jade Douglas, an FBI intelligence analyst who works in our Crimes Against Children Unit and specializes in child abduction matters. That’s because hospital security has greatly improved over the years.
A recent case illustrates the point: Last month, a woman entered a California hospital dressed in medical scrubs and abducted a newborn girl, hiding the baby in a bag. But when she attempted to walk out of the hospital, the baby’s security bracelet triggered an alarm and the woman was caught.
Because of heightened hospital security, Douglas said, “now women who desperately want a child—and are willing to go to extreme lengths to get one—have to gain direct contact with their victims, and that’s when things can turn violent.”
The women who commit these crimes are usually between the ages of 17 and 33,” said Douglas, who provides analytical support to our Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. “Usually they are unable to get pregnant. Often, they will fake a pregnancy in the hopes of keeping a boyfriend or husband.” In most cases, she added, the women intend no harm to the infants—and maybe not even the mother. “They just want a child to raise as their own and will do anything to get one.”

	Podcast: FBI intelligence analyst discusses issue.

Another emerging trend, Douglas said, is that women desperate for a child are turning to social networking websites to locate victims. “We have seen several recent cases involving social networking sites,” she explained, “and we see how easy it is to use these websites to gain access to targets.”
In January, for example, a 32-year-old Florida woman developed a friendship with a younger new mother through a social networking site. The woman lied about having her own newborn and claimed the child was sick and in the hospital. The victim invited the woman to spend the night at her house, and the next morning, when the victim was in the shower, the woman abducted her two-week-old infant. She then deleted her contact information from the victim’s social networking site, thinking she would not be found. The baby was recovered and the woman was arrested.
“Parents should check their privacy settings on social networking sites,” Douglas said, and they should always use caution on the Internet (see sidebar). Without the proper settings, pictures posted online can contain embedded information that allows others to track your movements.
“This information is important to share with parents,” Douglas said. “They should be aware of their physical surroundings and how they use the Internet. This can help protect mothers and their babies.”