Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Middlesex County Man Charged with Production and Distribution of Child Pornography

NEWARK—A Middlesex County, New Jersey man was arrested today for allegedly producing and distributing numerous images of child pornography, some taken in his own bedroom, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Kenneth Christensen, 44, of Edison, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of a child. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Schwartz in Newark federal court this afternoon.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On May 14, 2012, Christensen, who works as a school crossing guard at a middle school in Metuchen, e-mailed from his personal computer 240 images depicting child pornography. Among them were three images of a boy who appeared to be about 5 years old. During a search conducted February 21, 2013, at Christensen’s residence, the FBI discovered on his computer the three images from the e-mails, as well as several hundred more images depicting child pornography.
Since as early as 2002, Christensen has produced photographs of a young boy, who at the time was approximately 12 years old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In several of the photos discovered by law enforcement at Christensen’s residence, the boy was naked and his hands and feet were bound with handcuffs, duct tape, plastic ties, or cloth ties. Most of the photos were taken in Christensen’s bedroom.
On the distribution count, the maximum potential penalty is 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. On the exploitation charge, the maximum penalty Christensen faces is 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman praised special agents with the FBI-Innocent Images Unit, under the direction of Special Agent James Tareco, and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velasquez, for the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Eskew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Palm Beach County Residents Arrested for Sex Trafficking of Minors

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced that defendants Dontavious M. Blake, 32, and Tara Jo Moore, 26, both of Palm Beach County, were charged in a federal criminal complaint with sex trafficking of minors. Pretrial detention hearings for Blake and Moore are scheduled for Tuesday, February 26, 2013.
More specifically, the complaint charges Blake and Moore with sex trafficking of children and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, and inducing a minor to engage in commercial sex act, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591, 1594 and 2422, respectively. If convicted, Blake and Moore face a maximum possible statutory sentence of up to life in prison.
This case stemmed from an investigation into the production of child pornography. According to the allegations in the complaint affidavit, a victim revealed that she had engaged in prostitution in the summer of 2011, at the age of 15. The victim stated that she had worked in hotels in the Palm Beach County area and identified Blake and Moore as her pimp and his girlfriend. Blake would post online escort advertisements with photographs of the victim on Backpage.com listing a phone number belonging to him. Moore would allegedly answer the calls from clients and negotiate a price for prostitution services and schedule a “date.” Once the price had been agreed upon, Blake would contact the minor and drive her to location for the “date.” At the conclusion of the date, the victim would pay a portion of the proceeds to Blake, including payment for a portion of the cost of the hotel room.
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 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.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lothrop Morris.
A complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Former Ft. Campbell Soldier Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Violating Child Pornography Laws While Residing on Military Bases

LOUISVILLE, KY—A former Fort Campbell, Kentucky soldier was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, by Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell today, for knowingly possessing, mailing, transporting, and shipping child pornography while residing within the Fort Campbell Military Reservation and during active duty in Iraq, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.
Timothy Lee Hansen, age 25, pleaded guilty to a four-count federal indictment brought by a federal grand jury on August 17, 2011. Prior to his indictment, Hansen had been charged in a criminal complaint on July 19, 2011.
According to court records, between February 2010 and February 15, 2011, Hansen, also known as “Hydes420,” used a “peer-to-peer” Internet file sharing software to download, store, and trade digital images of child pornography. A subpoena issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), tracked the IP address of the computer used to distribute child pornography to a computer belonging to Hansen and located in a soldier’s barracks at Fort Campbell. The information was turned over to the United States Army, Criminal Investigation Division (CID) at Fort Campbell on February 14, 2011.
Hansen was identified as an active-duty soldier assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group. According to the complaint, Hansen told investigators that he possessed approximately 100 megabytes of child pornography on his personal computers at Fort Campbell.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless and was investigated by the FBI and United States Army CID.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Milford Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Rolan Sosa, 36, of Milford, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment for receiving and distributing child pornography. Sosa also was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 16, 2011, detectives assigned to the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force in New Haven logged into a publicly available Internet file sharing program and downloaded 14 images of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by Sosa.
On December 15, 2011, Sosa was arrested at his residence in Milford. On that date, law enforcement agents also seized Sosa’s laptop computer. Subsequent analysis of the seized computer revealed 110 images and 134 video files of child pornography. Included in his collection of child pornography were images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Forensic review also revealed that Sosa distributed child pornography images and videos through the file sharing program located on his computer.
Sosa has been detained since his arrest. On October 9, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Henry Kopel.
The Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes against children occurring over the Internet and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the task force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Tonawanda Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Rosan Mack, 38 of Tonawanda, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who is handling the case, stated that Mack was charged after his roommate delivered a DVD containing a video of child pornography to the Tonawanda Police along with a note identifying the defendant. After receiving the DVD, detectives were able to establish that the DVD did, in fact, belong to the defendant.
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.justice.gov/psc.
The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota, and the Tonawnda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Anthony Palombo.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 31, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

FBI Seeks to Identify Two Individuals Who May Have Information Regarding a Child Sexual Exploitation Investigation

David Velazquez, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is seeking the public’s assistance with obtaining information to help identify two unknown individuals who may be able to provide valuable details regarding the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation. Photographs and informational posters depicting the unknown individuals are being disseminated to the public and can also be found below:
Initial images of the child being photographed in sexually explicit positions were first recorded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February 2003 and are still being circulated in numerous child pornography forums across the Internet.
Clues gathered from images relevant to the case, including a yellow T-shirt containing the outline of a basketball along with the written text “New Market Basketball,” have led to the belief that the individuals with whom the FBI would like to speak might possibly have a connection to one of the following facilities and/or areas:
  • New Market, Middlesex County, New Jersey
  • New Market, Iowa
  • New Market Elementary School, Indiana
  • New Market Elementary School, Maryland
  • East New Market, Maryland
  • New Market, Virginia
  • New Market Sports Camp, Virginia
  • New Market Elementary School, Alabama
  • New Market Elementary School, Tennessee
  • New Market Township, Minnesota
  • New Market Township, Ohio
  • New Market, North Carolina
Also visible in some of the images is a home with what appears to be yellow siding and an above-ground swimming pool. If recognized, these items could also assist in providing valuable information leading to the demographic location of the abused child.
These individuals’ identities and whereabouts are currently unknown. The first individual is described as a white male, likely between the ages of 25 and 35, with dark hair and glasses.
The second individual is described as a white male, likely between the ages of 35 and 45, with dark hair. The FBI is seeking to find these individuals because it appears they have been in contact with the victim and can assist the FBI with identification efforts. The public is reminded that no charges have been filed in this case, and the pictured individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Anyone with information to provide should contact their local FBI office, submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/, or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
These individuals are being sought as part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives, both of which represent strategic partnerships between the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Operation Rescue Me focuses on utilizing clues obtained through in-depth image analysis to identify the child victims depicted in child exploitation material, while ECAP seeks national and international media exposure of unknown adults (referred to as John/Jane Doe) who visibly display their faces and/or other distinguishing characteristics in association with child pornography images.

Rock Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography and Destroying Evidence

A man who distributed child pornography and destroyed evidence pled guilty on February 14, 2013, in federal court in Sioux City.
Lennon Slade, age 27, from Rock Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of destruction of evidence.
At the plea hearing, Slade admitted that, between July 2011 and September 2011, he distributed child pornography. In a plea agreement, he admitted that, when officers were attempting to execute a search warrant at his house, he was inside the house destroying evidence.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Slade was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Service after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Slade faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, $500,000 in fines, $200 in special assessments, and supervised release for five years to life following his imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 12-4080.

Baltimore City Firefighter and Another Baltimore Man Indicted on Charges Related to the Operation of a Sex Trafficking Business

BALTIMORE—Jamar Marvin Simmons, a/k/a “Mar,” age 30, of Baltimore, was ordered to be detained today on federal charges relating to a commercial sex trafficking business allegedly run by Simmons, a Baltimore City firefighter, and co-defendant Franklin Roosevelt Coit, a/k/a “Frank,” and “Nitty,” age 34, also of Baltimore. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on February 13, 2012.
The charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein.
According to the six count indictment, from July 2009 through July 2012, Simmons and Coit established and operated a brothel in Baltimore City and rented hotel rooms and another dwelling in Maryland that were also used for prostitution. Simmons and Coit falsely advertised positions online for exotic dancing and an escort service to recruit females, including at least one minor female, from inside and outside the state of Maryland, and arranged to transport the women from various locations outside Maryland, including Delaware, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Dakota, and Virginia to Maryland to engage in prostitution. The indictment alleges that the defendants took sexually explicit photographs of the females they recruited, used a computer to post the photographs on the “escort” section of an online advertising website, and listed telephone numbers on the website where the females could be reached to schedule a “date,” or a commercial sex act. Simmons and Coit set the pricing for the commercial sex acts and instructed the females on how to set “dates” over the telephone and how to avoid detection by law enforcement. According to the indictment, Simmons and Coit collected and shared the cash proceeds of the prostitution business and used a firearm and ammunition to protect the prostitution business and its cash proceeds.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy; a maximum of life in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor; 20 years in prison for enticing or coercing individuals to engage in prostitution; and 10 years in prison for interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Coit also faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Coit is detained on state charges and no federal court appearance has been scheduled.
The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force (MCETF), created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies. The task force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members include federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md/Human-Trafficking/index.html.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel M. Yasser, who is prosecuting the case.

Parkville Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Sexual Bondage of 15-Year-Old Gir

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced John Andrew Blaes, age 49, of Parkville, Maryland, today to 27 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiracy to produce child pornography and transporting a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Judge Bredar ordered that upon his release from prison, Blaes 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).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, at some time prior to March 2010, Blaes and 37 year old co-conspirator Margaret Jones met online and became involved in a sexual relationship. Blaes used the Internet to recruit other women and girls into a bondage and sadistic sexual lifestyle.
On July 5, 2011, Blaes solicited a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him and Jones. Blaes and Jones knew that the victim was a vulnerable minor. Blaes and Jones sent pornographic pictures of themselves to the victim using the computer.
On July 22, 2011, Blaes and Jones traveled to the victim’s home in North Carolina to bring her to live with them in Parkville. After picking the victim up in North Carolina, Blaes and Jones sexually abused her in the back of their vehicle, including using bondage with ropes, chains, and clamps. The next day, Blaes and Jones rented a hotel room in North Carolina to have sex with the victim. Blaes and Jones used a camera to document the sexual abuse of the victim in the van and the hotel. The images include sadistic and masochistic conduct.
From July 22 to November 20, 2011, Blaes and Jones engaged in sex acts with the victim multiple times a week. Blaes also cut the victim and held lemons to her injuries. Blaes and Jones instructed the victim to keep the sexual conduct and her age a secret. The victim was kept in their residence or in their control at all times and was not enrolled in school.
Blaes and the co-conspirator used a camera and cell phones to photograph the victim in sexually explicit poses and their sexual abuse of the victim. Blaes distributed the sexually explicit images online to recruit other individuals.
Margaret Ellen Jones, of Parkville, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce child pornography and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2013, at 4:00 p.m.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, HSI Baltimore, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel M. Yasser and Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.

Belleville Martial Arts Instructor Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Christopher M. Horton, 20, a Belleville martial arts instructor who lives in Highland, Illinois, was charged in United States District Court (federal), in a two-count criminal complaint with sexual exploitation of a child. In making this announcement, United States Attorney Wigginton noted that the federal charges were brought as part of a joint investigation and prosecution undertaken by his office, as well as the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. The alleged federal violations took place between on or about May 1, 2012 and February 9, 2013, in Madison and St. Clair Counties. After a federal detention hearing held today, the court ordered that Horton be held without bond pending trial. Charges and bonds in both St. Clair and Madison Counties have also been filed.
“The facts alleged in the criminal complaint are shocking and horrific. I will use all of my resources to ensure that these charges are proven beyond a reasonable doubt so that this person is placed where he can never prey upon our children again,” said United States Attorney Wigginton.
US Attorney Wigginton’s comments were echoed by Saint Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly, who said, “These alleged crimes against our children demand the swift and severe action taken by the U.S. Attorney, my office, and my counterpart in Madison County.”
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons noted, “I want to thank everyone who played a role in the investigation and charging of the defendant. By working together, we were able to uncover the vile acts committed by this man. These types of investigations are always heartbreaking, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this predator is punished and removed from society and our victims get the justice they deserve.”
The offenses charged in the federal complaint allege that, between on or about May 1, 2012 and February 9, 2012, Horton video-recorded himself engaged in sexual activity with two minors.
A federal trial date has not yet been set. If convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, Horton faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years but not more than 30 years of imprisonment on each count, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five years, up to, and including, a lifetime of supervision once he is released.
A criminal complaint is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
The case was investigated by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro East Cyber Crimes and Analysis Task Force; the Highland, Illinois Police Department; and the Belleville, Illinois Police Department. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Ali Summers.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Casselberry Man Sentenced to Life for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of Minors

ORLANDO—U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that U.S. District Chief Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Paul C. Lorenz, III (62, Casselberry, Florida) to life in federal prison for aggravated sex abuse of minors, production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. The court also ordered Lorenz to pay more than $72,000 in restitution to the victims of the offenses and to forfeit his interest in the computers and video cameras that he used to commit the offenses.
Lorenz pleaded guilty on September 24, 2012. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message about the priority that we place upon protecting our children from criminals like this,” said U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill. “Together, along with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute serious offenses such as these and work to pursue the stiffest penalties under the law.”
According to court documents, Lorenz babysat several children while employed as a maintenance technician at a Church in Pasadena, Maryland. During this time, he sexually abused a young girl under his care over the course of approximately six years, beginning when she was 5 years old. Lorenz recorded the abuse using his digital camera and video recorder and stored the pictures and videos on his hard drive. He moved to Casselberry, Florida, in October 2011 and brought the videos with him. Last year, in January 2012 and March 2012, Lorenz returned to Maryland to assist with family issues. While in Maryland, he babysat another 5 year old girl and sexually abused her. As he had done with his previous victim, Lorenz recorded the abuse and stored the pictures and videos on his computer.
Lorenz returned to Florida in April 2012. A few weeks later, law enforcement officers learned of the abuse, obtained a search warrant for Lorenz’s home, and seized his computers and cameras. A computer forensics examiner located over 14,000 pictures and 1,500 videos documenting Lorenz’s abuse of the two children on Lorenz’s electronic storage devices. In addition, the examiner located thousands of images of child pornography documenting the sexual abuse of unidentified children on Lorenz’s storage devices. Lorenz told investigators that he had downloaded the child pornography images from the Internet during the previous 15 years.
This case was investigated by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.
It is another case 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 (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Indiana Man Indicted on Charges of Sexually Exploiting Kansas Girl

KANSAS CITY, KS—An Indiana man has been indicted on charges of using the Internet to sexually exploit a minor girl in Douglas County, Kansas U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Brett J. Williamson, 35, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is charged with three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor to engage in an unlawful sexual activity. The indictment alleges that in February and April 2012 Williamson enticed the girl to send him photos of herself engaged in sexual activities.
Williamson is being held in the Douglas County Jail.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of producing child pornography; and a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of enticing a minor. The Lawrence Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.
Other Indictments
Edward Davis, 30, Kansas City, Missouri, is charged with one count of armed bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on July 13, 2012, Davis used a handgun to rob the Bank Midwest, 3500 Rainbow Blvd., in Kansas City, Kansas.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.
Lola Cherrolene Spurlin, 30, Lenox, Georgia, and Eliseo Ortiz-Pinacho, 35, a citizen of Mexico, are charged with knowingly transporting six aliens unlawfully within the United States by automobile. Co-defendant Jose Mario Esquit-Ordon, 22, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. The crimes are alleged to have occurred February 7, 2013, in Allen County, Kansas.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
  • Knowingly transporting aliens unlawfully in the United States: A maximum penalty of five years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
  • Unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported: A maximum penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Ashley Davis, 27, Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with one count of concealing Daniel Bryant from arrest. The crime is alleged to have occurred January 11, 2013, in Kansas City, Kansas.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI and the Career Criminal Squad of the Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.
Dion M. Jones, 21, Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred February 3, 2013 in Lawrence, Kansas.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Lawrence Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.
Earl Watson, 29, an inmate at Leavenworth Penitentiary, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of marijuana, which is a prohibited object in the prison. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 23, 2012 in the prison.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possession with intent to distribute; and a maximum penalty of five years and fine up to $250,000 on the other charge. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.
Arturo Zamudio-Nava, 28, a citizen of Mexico who has been living in Olathe, Kansas, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 16, 2012 in Johnson County, Kansas.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Department of Homeland Security investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

Nashville Musician Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Attempted Enticement of a Minor

DALLAS—Abraham Eugene Spear, 30, of Nashville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Dallas before Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to one count of attempted enticement of a minor. He faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Spear, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in September 2012 in Dallas, is to be sentenced by Judge Fitzwater on June 7, 2013. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Spear admitted that from August 27, 2012 through September 20, 2012, he used the Internet and a cell phone to knowingly attempt to persuade an individual, whom he believed to be a 7-year-old girl, to engage in sexual activity. Spear, using the monikers of MUSICMAN30 and BANJOPAINE, communicated over several weeks with an undercover law enforcement agent, whom Spear believed to be the mother of two girls, ages 7 and 9. During these communications, he persuaded, or attempted to persuade, the “mother” to allow him to meet her two girls to engage in different sexual acts with him. On September 20, Spear traveled from Tennessee to Dallas to perform with the Josh Thompson band at a bar in Dallas. That day, he agreed to meet the mom at a restaurant in Dallas, and, after he was identified, he was arrested by special agents with the FBI. Spear admitted that many of the messages he sent were sexual in nature and geared toward the “mother’s” 7- and 9-year-old daughters. Spear also admitted sending a sexually explicit photo of himself to the “mother,” asking what the girls would think of the photo.
Spear also admitted that he had engaged in sexually explicit communications with other mothers of minor girls, including one in which he offered to pay $200 to engage in sexual acts with the mother’s minor daughter.
The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.

Charlotte Woman Sentenced for Role in Recruiting 13-Year-Old Girl into Prostitution Organization

RICHMOND, VA—Rachael Masingene, 21, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to transport an individual across state lines for prostitution.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and D.A. Middleton, Chief of Police for the Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
“Rachael Masingene played an integral role in recruiting a 13-year-old girl into the vile world of sex trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “She taught the girl the business of online prostitution and lived with her in hotels for months while the victim’s family desperately searched for their child. Many people think human trafficking is a man’s business—but the recruiters are often women, and we hold them accountable.”
“It is reprehensible for an adult to recruit a vulnerable and defenseless child into the vile world of prostitution,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Mazanec. “Children deserve to be protected from the criminal world—not recruited into it. Today’s sentence is a strong reflection that this criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Our office will continue to work with the United States Attorney’s Office and our other law enforcement partners to interdict this kind of criminal activity that unfortunately plagues many states across the country.”
Masingene pled guilty on September 27, 2012 to conspiracy to transport an individual across state lines for purpose of prostitution. According to court documents, Masingne worked as a prostitute for Korey Reynolds in the Charlotte area from 2011 through 2012. In a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Masingne admitted that in February or March 2012, she met a 13-year old female while she, Reynolds, and Whitney Hayes, another woman who was also working as a prostitute for Reynolds, were in Miami, Florida. Masingene acknowledged that she and Hayes recruited the 13-year old to join the prostitution organization. Once they were back in Charlotte, Masingene and Hayes taught the juvenile the business of prostitution, including posting Internet advertisements offering the female as a prostitute to prospective customers. In May 2012, Reynolds, Masingene, and Hayes transported the juvenile from Charlotte to Richmond, Virginia with the intent that the juvenile engage in prostitution while in Virginia.
Reynolds was convicted of transporting a minor in interstate commerce for purposes of prostitution and was sentenced to 130 months of imprisonment. Hayes was also convicted of conspiracy to transport an individual across state lines for prostitution and was sentenced to 57 months of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Henrico County Police Division. Assistant United States Attorney Jamie L. Mickelson prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Newtown Man Admits Producing Child Pornography

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWARD F. WILSON, 29, of Newtown, pleaded guilty today before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford to one count of production of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in approximately 2011 and 2012, WILSON sexually abused a female child, filmed and photographed the abuse with an iPhone, and maintained the videos and images on his home computer. The victim was approximately 4 years old at the time of the abuse.
In addition to filming, photographing, and maintaining videos and images of the sexual abuse that he inflicted on the female child, WILSON traded via e-mail hundreds of other images and videos of child pornography and maintained a collection of child pornography on his home computers.
WILSON is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on May 1, 2013, at which time WILSON faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and a fine of up to $250,000.
WILSON has been detained in state custody since his arrest on April 13, 2012 for first-degree possession of child pornography, obscenity, and promoting a minor in an obscene performance. On July 10, 2012, he was arrested on 22 additional state charges, including six counts of first-degree sexual assault, five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, and 11 counts of risk of injury. The state charges are pending.
This case is being investigated by the Connecticut State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the Newtown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Virginia Man Convicted by Jury of Attempting to Entice Minor to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity

WASHINGTON—Paul David Hite, 58, of Midlothian, Virginia, was found guilty by a jury today of two federal charges of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Joining in the announcement were Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hite was convicted of the charges following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment on each count, a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment on each count, and a fine of up to $250,000. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2013.
Evidence presented at trial established that from February 1, 2012 through February 17, 2012, Hite engaged in a series of Internet chats and telephone calls with an undercover police detective in Washington, D.C., who was posing as an adult who was sexually abusing a minor girl and a minor boy. During the course of the communications with the undercover detective, Hite described, in graphic detail, the sexual activity in which he wanted to engage with the purported minors. Hite also discussed plans to travel to Washington, D.C. for the purpose of sexually abusing the purported minors.
Hite was arrested near his residence in Midlothian on February 17, 2012. Law enforcement recovered computer equipment from Hite’s home, which uncovered evidence of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhoodgov.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Attorney General Breuer, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Chief Lanier commended the work of all who participated in the investigation. They especially acknowledged the efforts of the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, as well as the FBI’s Richmond Field Division.
They also acknowledged the efforts of Digital Investigative Analyst Christie Gardner of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They additionally commended the efforts of those who assisted with the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Starla Stolk; Legal Assistants Jessica Moffatt and Charmonique Price; Dawn Tolson-Hightower and David Foster of the Victim Witness Assistant Unit; and Joshua Ellen, Kimberly Smith, and Leif Hickling of the Litigation Services Unit.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wu from the Eastern District of Virginia, Diane Lucas of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and David B. Kent and Julieanne Himelstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Darcy Katzin of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—Marc Gange, 32, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty today to a federal charge of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Gange entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable James E. Boasberg is to sentence him on June 11, 2013. Gange faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment as well as a fine of $250,000. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely sentencing range of 97 to 121 months in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 15, 2012, Gange contacted a man he believed to be the father of a 12-year-old girl on a social network site. That man turned out to be an undercover officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Over the next several days, Gange engaged in online e-mail and instant message conversations with the undercover officer.
During this period of time, Gange sent the undercover officer approximately 79 images of child pornography which depicted, among other things, adult men engaged in sexual acts with children. Following Gange’s arrest on December 5, 2012, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force conducted a search of his work space and residence. Officers recovered approximately three videos and over 1,000 images of child pornography from a USB drive and the defendant’s computer.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhoodgov.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force who investigated the case. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.

Woodford County Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Distributing Pornography

LEXINGTON, KY—A Woodford County man who posted child pornography videos on the Internet for others to download was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
U.S. Senior District Judge Joseph M. Hood sentenced 31-year-old Juan Francisco Reyes-Ramos Monday for distributing child pornography. Judge Hood enhanced the defendant’s sentence because the defendant possessed images of child pornography that were sadistic and/or violent.
According to court documents, in May of 2012 a detective with the Kentucky State Police located child pornography videos available for download on the Internet. The videos contained images of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The detective found that the videos were posted from an Internet protocol (IP) address belonging to the defendant’s computer.
When investigators searched the defendant’s home, they found more than 3,000 child pornography images on his computer. Many of the images showed adults engaged in sexually explicit conduct with children.
Under federal law, Reyes-Ramos will have to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence. He pleaded guilty last November.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; John R. Korkin, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security Investigations-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Rodney C. Brewer, Kentucky State Police Commissioner (KSP) jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the Kentucky State Police, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security Investigations-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Illinois Man Found Guilty of Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Carl Campbell, 37, of Chicago, Illinois, was found guilty of five counts including sex trafficking by force and sex trafficking of children. The guilty verdicts followed a week-long federal jury trial in Sioux Falls.
A federal jury convicted Campbell after hearing evidence that he lured in adults and minors and caused them to engage in commercial sex acts in and around Sioux Falls. He assaulted one victim repeatedly over the course of about eight months in which he forced her to perform commercial sex acts in South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
“This defendant has been brought to justice for his role in the sexual enslavement of young women,” said Johnson. “The verdict sends a strong message: if you engage in the heinous act of sex trafficking in South Dakota, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Campbell’s convictions include one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; one count of interstate transportation for prostitution; one count of obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement; and two counts of sex trafficking of a child. trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a life maximum. The two convictions for sex trafficking of a child each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a life maximum. The remaining two counts involving interstate transportation and obstruction carry maximum prison terms of up to 20 years each.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Falls Police Department, and the Franklin County (Illinois) Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Koliner and Jeff Clapper. A presentence investigation was ordered, and sentencing has been set for April 29, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Homer Resident Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Drugs to Teenage Girls and Possessing Child Pornography

ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a Homer charter boat captain was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for one consolidated count of distributing drugs to underage individuals and one count of possession of child pornography.
Randall Scott Hines, age 34, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess to 10 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years’ supervised release. Following his release from federal custody, Hines must register as a sex offender for 15 years.
In imposing the 10-year sentence on Hines, Judge Burgess stated that the facts Hines admitted in the plea agreement “underscore just how serious this offense was.” These facts included that between 2008 and 2011, Hines engaged in sexual relationships with a series of teenage girls in Homer. Hines frequently supplied these same girls with methamphetamine or other drugs, often in conjunction with having sex with them. Four of the six teenage girls with whom Hines had a sex and drug relationship were under the age of 16 at the time and thus were under Alaska’s legal age of consent.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Sayers-Fay, who prosecuted the case, Hines’ 10-year sentence and 10-year period of supervised release reflects that his crimes involved a pattern of sexual abuse. Hines also pled guilty to possessing a sexually explicit video clip of him engaged in sex conduct with one of the minor victims. By virtue of that child pornography conviction, Hines will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from federal custody.
During his sentencing remarks, Judge Burgess rejected the suggestion that Hines’ own methamphetamine addiction mitigated his culpability for his conduct. Judge Burgess told Hines, “[T]he bottom line is, in those instances that were outlined and detailed in the plea agreement in this case, there was one adult in the room. One adult. And that was you. You were the adult. I don’t care if you were drunk. I don’t care if you were on methamphetamine or oxycodone. You were the adult in the room, and you didn’t act like the adult in the room.” The judge added, “I hope this is a cautionary tale.”
Hines’ plea agreement required him to fund a $160,000 trust fund to help victims obtain drug treatment and counseling. Judge Burgess noted this positive step, but observed that it would not make amends for the crimes, which had “significant and devastating effect on the victims and their families,” many of whom had sought restraining orders against Hines. As one mother told the court, Hines’ “age and finesse” allowed him to manipulate young women who had “not yet developed the ability to discern or recognize the evilness of his ways.”
Ms. Loeffler commends the persistence of the victims and their families in this case, as well as the work of the FBI and Anchorage Police Department Vice Unit as part of the Innocence Lost Task Force, whose combined efforts culminated in Hines’ convictions.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Opelika Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

MONTGOMERY, AL—U.S. Attorney George L. Beck, Jr., announced today that Kevin Darcy Golden, age 45, of Auburn, Alabama, was sentenced yesterday to 35 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. If Golden is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life.
Between at least April and December 2011, Golden produced numerous videos of female children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. On some occasions, Golden secretly filmed the children removing their clothing while at his residence, and on other occasions Golden filmed himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the children while they were unconscious.
“Performing sexual acts on children is one of the most despicable things a person can do,” stated U.S. Attorney Beck. “We will not tolerate it and will work feverishly to stop this horrific conduct.”
“Cases related to the exploitation of children are of the most important investigations we shoulder in the FBI,” stated Steve Richardson, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Mobile Field Division. “Our ability to investigate and prosecute these activities is enhanced when we work with our local and federal partners.”
“We appreciate the hard work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in helping us make our community a safer place by bringing those to justice that would exploit our children,” stated Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson. “This case is another example of what can be accomplished by law enforcement working together.”
This case is being investigated by the Opelika Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Auburn (Alabama) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jared H. Morris and Nathan D. Stump.
This case is being 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 justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Bonesteel Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse and Sexual Contact Charges

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Robert Louis Prue, Jr., age 34, of Bonesteel, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on February 6, 2013, and pled guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of sexual contact with a minor. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 17 years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; a mandatory minimum of five years up to life of supervised release; and a $200 special assessment.
The convictions stem from incidents that took place between June 22, 2011 and September 22, 2011, when Prue had sexual contact with a minor victim.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date was set for April 8, 2013. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Benson December Coriolant Sentenced to 40 Years for Sex Trafficking a Child into the New Orleans Area

Benson December Coriolant, 30, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to 40 years in prison after he was previously convicted by a federal jury of sex trafficking of a child, conspiring with others to sex traffic a child, coercing and enticing an individual to engage in prostitution, and coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, announced United States Attorney Dana J. Boente. This is the first human sex trafficking conviction in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
According to evidence introduced at trial, in late 2008, Coriolant met R.V., a 14-year-old female. Shortly thereafter, he began a sexual relationship with her. After convincing the minor that their relationship was one of boyfriend/girlfriend, Coriolant recruited R.V. to begin working for him as a prostitute in the Orlando area. Coriolant posted advertisements on multiple city-specific Internet classified ad websites offering prostitution services of the minor. Over the course of the next year, Coriolant forced R.V. to engage in dozens of sexual acts in exchange for money throughout the state of Florida. Coriolant forced R.V. to turn over the money she earned from prostitution either to him or one of his associates. Coriolant also provided R.V. with alcohol and illicit drugs, such as Ecstasy, as a way of numbing her senses and controlling her behavior.
In March 2010, Coriolant drove R.V., who was then 15 years old, to Kenner, Louisiana, to work as a prostitute. Coriolant used the New Orleans version of an online classified advertisement website to solicit individuals interested in paying for sex with the minor. Coriolant required R.V. to put the money she made from prostitution, thousands of dollars, into a bank account for his benefit. He further forced her to account for all of her expenses, including personal expenses, such as food, in a journal, daily letters, and text messages to him. Coriolant also instructed R.V. in what to charge for sex, how to provide him with the profits, how to attract business, how to avoid being apprehended by law enforcement, and how to perform certain sexual acts.
On April 24, 2010, R.V. was discovered by law enforcement authorities and ultimately sent back to Orlando with relatives. Once back in Orlando, Coriolant instructed R.V. to continue engaging in prostitution but to have sex only with regular, familiar clients because of concerns with law enforcement finding her.
In May 2010, Coriolant sent the minor back to New Orleans a second time to work as a prostitute. Coriolant again advertised sex with the minor on an online classified advertisement website. R.V. was arrested several days later.
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.justice.gov/psc.
This case was further brought as part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, which was aimed at addressing the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States. In the nine years since its inception, the initiative has resulted in the development of 47 dedicated task forces and working groups throughout the U.S. involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working in tandem with U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Division. The Tampa Division of the FBI and the Kenner, Louisiana Police Department also provided critical investigative assistance. The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Juliana Etland, and Sean Toomey.

London Couple Convicted on All Counts of Child Pornography Offenses

LONDON—A federal jury found a London, Kentucky couple guilty of photographing two children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The jury convicted 58-year-old Rickey L. Sherman and his wife, 33-year-old Corrine Sherman, late Wednesday afternoon of two counts of producing child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The jury returned the verdict after approximately four hours of deliberation following three days of trial.
Evidence presented at trial showed that, in 2008, the Shermans produced approximately 40 images of two pre-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
At the time Ricky Sherman was arrested for the federal offenses, he was on probation for a previous state offense. The investigation started when state authorities received a tip that Rickey Sherman violated terms of his probation by having access to a computer. The evidence revealed that Rickey Sherman contacted his wife as the investigation was underway, and she subsequently attempted to conceal a camera from law enforcement. The camera was recovered and found to contain the produced child pornography images.
Ricky Sherman owned Truck Town Repair in Laurel County. He and his wife were indicted in September 2011.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S Attorney for Eastern District Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Stewart Walker, Chief of the London Police Department, jointly announced the convictions.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the London Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman.
The Shermans will appear for sentencing on June 4, 2013. They face a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. The couple will have to serve a minimum of 85 percent of the prison sentences imposed. The court will impose a sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.

Teacher’s Aide Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

Earlier today, Taleek Brooks, a former teacher’s aide at a public elementary school in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and distributing child pornography. The proceedings were held before United States Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. Brooks faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment when sentenced on May 23, 2013.
The guilty plea was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.
Brooks, a teacher’s aide at Public School 243, The Weeksville School, in Brooklyn, regularly downloaded and distributed videos and images depicting child pornography over the Internet through a peer-to-peer file sharing program. In December 2011, Brooks accepted a “friend” request from an undercover FBI special agent, which permitted the agent to observe and download several videos and images depicting child pornography that Brooks had designated for sharing with his “friends” on the peer-to-peer network.
On January 13, 2012, FBI special agents executed a search warrant on Brooks’s residence in Brooklyn. During the search, agents seized, among other items, a computer and two external hard drives from Brooks’s bedroom. Hundreds of videos and images depicting child pornography were found on the computer equipment.
A FBI forensic examination of the equipment revealed that Brooks had produced child pornography. In a folder that Brooks had labeled “Special,” investigators recovered videos and images of a young child performing sexually explicit acts at Brooks’s direction. Brooks can be heard and seen in some of the videos. Investigators later confirmed that the young child had been a student at Public School 243 while Brooks was a teacher’s aide and that the videos and images were produced in two of the school’s classrooms.
“School is supposed to be a place of learning, where our children can excel and grow. Brooks turned his classroom into a place of fear and exploitation, taking advantage of the trust that was placed in him by a young child that he was charged with teaching and protecting. He spent his additional time and energy collecting images of the exploitation of yet more children. We stand committed to protecting our youth from those who abuse them and violate that trust,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “Today’s guilty plea stands as a strong warning to those who prey on our youth that we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “Brooks not only collected and traded images of child pornography, he created it when he directed and recorded a child performing sexually explicit acts in a school classroom. The FBI is committed to protecting children by policing child predators.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Polemeni.
Defendant:
Taleek Brooks
Age: 42

Salem Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

PORTLAND, OR—U.S. District Court Anna J. Brown today sentenced Jefferson F. Williams, 49, of Salem, Oregon, to 60 months in prison for distribution of child pornography.
Salem FBI agents searched the Salem home of Williams on March 3, 2011, and seized his computer and related equipment. Undercover FBI agents in Texas had been monitoring a peer-to-peer file sharing system that allowed individuals to download and exchange files via the Internet. When the Salem computer belonging to Williams and his wife was identified, agents served a search warrant at the home and interviewed Williams regarding his distribution activities. He cooperated fully with law enforcement and admitted his involvement in the file trading program.
A forensic analysis revealed over 1,800 images of child pornography had been downloaded from the Internet. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified series images of 18 known victims stored on the seized computer.
Williams, a highly decorated retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and combat veteran, apologized to his family at his sentencing hearing. He had no criminal record and was active in community activities as a volunteer.
The seized computer was ordered forfeited, and Williams was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after his release from prison.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Haub prosecuted the case.

Cincinnati Man Charged with 20 Counts of Producing Child Pornography

CINCINNATI—A federal grand jury has charged James O. Napier, 38, of Cincinnati with 20 counts of producing child pornography which involve an 11-month old infant and an approximately 9-year-old child, produced at different times.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and agencies in the Greater Cincinnati Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the indictment returned today.
The indictment alleges that in November 2009, Napier used an 11-month-old infant for sexual gratification, molested the infant, and made a video recording of it before placing it on the Internet. The indictment contains 19 counts alleging that as recently as November 2012, Napier sexually exploited a girl who was approximately 9 years old and produced videos of those acts. The indictment also charges Napier with one count each of transportation, distribution, and receipt of child pornography.
FBI agents arrested Napier on January 18 based on a complaint filed in U.S. District Court. The complaint was based on information from the FBI office in Phoenix that Napier was advertising the sale of child pornography on a website. Napier is being held without bond.
“Production of child pornography is punishable by at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said. “Each of the other crimes is punishable by at least five and up to 20 years in prison. The investigation is continuing in case there are other victims.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Stewart commended the investigation by FBI agents and investigators with the Greater Cincinnati ICAC, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy who is representing the United States in this case.
Agencies participating in the Greater Cincinnati ICAC, in addition to FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office include the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil, and the police departments in Amberley Village, Blue Ash, Cincinnati, and West Chester.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Gang Member Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

PORTLAND, OR—Pedro Cruz Gonzales, 33, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Jones to 13 years in federal prison following the defendant’s guilty plea to sex trafficking of a minor. Upon his release from prison, the defendant will serve a five-year term of supervised release.
In pleading guilty, the defendant admitted that between August 2011 and September 2011, he recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and maintained a minor female knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that she would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act.
Prior to imposing the sentence, Judge Jones recounted the defendant’s criminal history, his gang membership, and the nature of the crime and then noted that the defendant was “a very bad, bad and dangerous man” who “engaged in one of the worst forms of a crime, sex trafficking with a minor.” In imposing the 13-year sentence, the court directly addressed the defendant and told him, “Society needs to be protected from you.”
“We could not agree with Judge Jones more,” stated U.S. Attorney S. Amanda Marshall. “The prosecution of sex trafficking cases is a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and sentences such as this send a powerful message that sex trafficking is a horrendous crime that we will aggressively prosecute.”
“Mr. Gonzales exploited one of the most vulnerable populations in society, runaway teenage girls, by preying upon their youth, vulnerabilities, and desperate circumstances,” said Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill. “Cases such as this highlight the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and victim service groups in investigating and prosecuting these cases, as well as the continued need for preventative measures to ensure kids never find themselves in this situation in the first place.”
This case was investigated by Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Prostitution Coordination Detail, the Portland Police Bureau’s Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking Unit, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. Sexual Assault Resource Center helped with providing victim assistance. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Glen “J.R.” Ujifusa was the lead prosecutor on the case and was assisted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin. Mr. Ujifusa is a Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney who also prosecutes sex trafficking cases in federal court as a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Gang and Sex Trafficking Unit.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Fairfax Man Indicted for Producing Child Pornography and Attempted Enticement of a Minor

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Douglas Lee Payne, Jr., 31, of Fairfax, Virginia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on child exploitation related charges.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Lt. Colonel James A. Morris, Acting Fairfax County Chief of Police made the announcement after the indictment was returned.
Payne was indicted on February 6, 2013, on one count of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison; one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; one count of attempted enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life; and one count of attempted travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct, which carries a maximum of 30 years in prison, if convicted.
According to the indictment and other court documents, during the investigation of a Fairfax County probation violation in December 2011, evidence was discovered of communications between Payne and a minor victim in Indiana. These communications involved both text messages and Skype chats. In these communications Payne asked the minor victim for nude images and instructed her on how to pose. Payne had at least one child pornography image of the minor victim, which she had sent to him. Payne and the minor victim also had conversations about Payne going to Indiana to visit a cousin and that he would stop to see the minor victim and have sex with her on his way home. In addition, Payne had other child pornography images in his possession. On December 28, 2011, Payne was on his way to Indiana when he was instructed to come home for a meeting with his Fairfax County probation officer.
This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Alicia J. Yass is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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.justice.gov/psc.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.

District Man Pleads Guilty to Making Arrangements to Have Sexual Contact with a Child

WASHINGTON—Carl Lott, 47, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to arranging to have sexual contact with a child, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Lott entered the guilty plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Stuart G. Nash is to sentence him on April 11, 2013. Lott faces a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment, as well as a fine of up to $50,000.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 8, 2012, Lott contacted a man he believed to be the father of a 12-year-old female child on a social network site. That man turned out to be an undercover MPD officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force.
Over the next two days, Lott engaged in online e-mail conversations with the undercover officer about having sexual relations with the purported child. During this period of time, Lott arranged a meeting—including time, date, and location—with the undercover officer for the purpose of having sexual relations with the purported child. On November 9, 2012, Lott met the undercover officer and was arrested.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. Project Safe Childhood is 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Chief Lanier praised the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Minneapolis Man Sentenced for Distributing Child Pornography

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a 51-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced for distributing child pornography. United States District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Robert Andrew Gozola to 240 months in federal prison and, following incarceration, supervised release for life. Gozola was indicted on May 8, 2012, and pleaded guilty on August 22, 2012, to one count of distribution of child pornography.
In his plea agreement, Gozola admitted that on November 23, 2011, he sent images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct to an undercover police officer over a peer-to-peer file sharing program. In addition, Gozola admitted possessing more than 6,000 similar images on his computer, some of which included sadistic or masochistic content. The computer, on which Gozola had installed a peer-to-peer program, was seized during the execution of state search warrant at his residence on January 19, 2012.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Minnesota Cybercrime Task Force, which includes the Minneapolis Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.
Distribution of child pornography is against the law. In addition to prosecuting these cases, the Justice Department is presently funding a study focused on the correlation between involvement in child pornography and hands-on sexual abuse of children. A 2008 study (“The Butner Study”) published in the Journal of Family Violence found that up to 80 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for possession, receipt, or distribution of child pornography also admitted to hands-on sexual abuse of children, ranging from touching to rape.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children while identifying and rescuing victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab “Resources.”

Berlin Man Sentenced to Eight Years on Child Pornography Charges

CONCORD, NH—George McAlpin, 34, of Berlin, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to eight years in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to transportation and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.
In May 2010, law enforcement agents in Chicago, Illinois, conducted an investigation into the illegal trafficking of child pornography. Information forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicated that images of child pornography had been sent to the defendant’s e-mail account. McAlpin was interviewed by agents of the FBI and admitted to knowingly possessing and transmitting images of child pornography via computer. A search of the defendant’s computer revealed thousands of images and numerous videos depicting the sexual assaults of children.
McAlpin will be required to register as a sex offender in any state in which he lives or works following his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Berlin Police Department, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by United States Attorney John P. Kacavas and Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon, the U.S. Attorney’s coordinator for Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative of the United States Department of Justice aimed at combating the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Lancaster Man Sentenced for Attempting to Receive Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Joseph Marranca, Jr., 68, of Lancaster, New York, who was convicted of attempted receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to five year in prison and five years’ supervised release by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated the defendant posted an ad on Craigslist that read, in part, “looking for a teenager.” Marranca engaged in chat conversations online and began talking with a person who indicated that she was a 14-year-old girl. During those chats, the defendant asked the 14-year-old for pictures and made arrangements to meet her at a park. The individual that Marranca was actually chatting with was an undercover police officer. The defendant was arrested after he drove to the park to meet the officer.
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.justice.gov/psc.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge; and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Capitol Heights Pimp Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors

GREENBELT, MD—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Dennis Smith, a/k/a Domo, age 31, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, today to 150 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for transporting a minor to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking of a minor.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The sexual victimization and trafficking of children is among the highest criminal investigative priorities for the FBI here in Maryland,” said Stephen Vogt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This case highlights the exemplary work of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force and further validates the significant resources incorporated into working jointly with our law enforcement partners. The FBI pledges our firm commitment in finding, investigating, and prosecuting individuals who prey on young victims.”
According to Smith’s plea agreement, in October 2011, Smith met a 16-year-old female on a social networking site. After a month of engaging in computer chats and text messaging, Smith drove to the girl’s home and picked her up. After picking up two adult women, Smith drove them all to Richmond, where the women engaged in prostitution. Smith had the girl collect the money made by the two women for two days. Smith then photographed and advertised the girl online for sexual services. The 16-year-old engaged in commercial sex acts and provided the money she made to Smith. Smith then drove the three females back to Maryland, where he again advertised the 16-year-old for sexual services. The next day the girl returned home.
In February 2012, Smith again picked up the 16-year-old and another 15-year-old female from their high school and took them back to his home. In March 2012, law enforcement was notified that Smith was prostituting the 15-year-old girl at a hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, through an online advertisement. An undercover law enforcement officer set up a “date” with the 15-year-old girl. When the officer arrived at the hotel, he identified the 15-year-old girl, as well as a 17-year-old girl, who were engaged in prostitution. Smith was arrested at the hotel, and his laptop and cell phone were seized, along with tattoo equipment.
Smith admitted that he brought the 15- and 17-year-old girls to his hotel where he photographed them and advertised them online for sexual services. Smith instructed the younger girl on how much to charge clients for sexual services, and she provided the money she made from prostitution to Smith. There were text messages on Smith’s cell phone between Smith and the girls that related to the girls engaging in prostitution. Both the 15- and 16-year-old girls were tattooed with Smith’s nickname, “Domo.”
This case is part of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force efforts to combat child prostitution. The task force, created in 2010, is composed of 15 members representing 10 agencies, both state and federal. Since October 2011, the task force has recovered 32 juveniles and investigated 25 cases that have resulted in state and federal prosecutions. The task force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who are prosecuting the case.

Oxon Hill Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

BALTIMORE—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Raymond Talley, III, age 34, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, today to five years in prison, followed by six years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography. Chief Judge Chasanow ordered that upon his release from prison, Talley 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).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Washington Field Office.
According to the plea agreement, on three occasions in August and September 2011, undercover law enforcement agents downloaded child pornography from files that Talley was sharing over the Internet using a file sharing program. On October 7, 2011, two laptops, both with file sharing programs installed, were seized during a search of Talley’s home. Over 1,700 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct had been downloaded and saved onto the laptops.
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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the case.