March 11, 2011
Shane Kiser, a 29-year old Delaware man, has been charged with attempting to entice a minor and receipt and possession of child pornography.
Kiser met a man in an Internet chat room for pedophiles, who said he was a divorced father with a 9-year old son who was available for sex with adult males. Kiser arranged to meet the the father with the intention of having sex with the 9-year-old son.
The “father” was actually an undercover state trooper posing in the chat room; the 9-year old son was fictitious.
During their conversations, Kiser identified himself as a “true pedophile” who had an interest in having sex with a boy, a baby or toddler, prosecutors said.
They agreed to meet at a hotel so that Kiser could have sex with the officer’s fake son and Kiser said he would bring a pacifier for the boy to use during the assault, according to arrest records.
He was arrested by state police on attempted rape and solicitation charges in the hotel parking lot.
Law enforcement raided Kiser’s home and seized computer equipment with more than 1,000 files containing images of toddlers and infants engaged in sex acts with adult males.
At the time of his arrest, Kiser was employed part-time as a nurse at Beebe Hospital.
If convicted, Kiser faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life on the child enticement charge, a mandatory minimum of 5-20 years in jail on the receipt of child pornography charge and a maximum of 10 years on the possession of child pornography charge.
March 9, 2011
A CA man, Brian Robert Garrett, 26, pled guilty on Monday in federal court to using the Internet to coerce a minor female to engage in criminal sexual activity. Garrett posed as a teenage girl on social networking sites to meet real teenage girls in order to befiend them in his pursuit of child sexual exploitation.
Garrett was able to gain the trust of a young Wisconsin girl and introduced her to a male “cousin” of his fictitious persona, said Department of Justice spokesperson Lauren Horwood.
According to the Department of Justice, Garrett was able to gain the trust of a young Wisconsin girl, introduced her to a fictitious male cousin, and eventually the chats became sexual in nature and eventually he convinced her to send him sexually explicit images of herself.
Garrett purchased gifts for the girl, including a new digital camera; threatened to post her images on the Internet if she did not continue to supply sexually explicit images of herself; and harrassed her vial phone and email, despite pleas by the victim’s mother to stop.
He also offered to fly the girl out to California at his own expense.
Garrett had other complaints filed against him in California by posing as a 15-year old male while trying to approach two young girls on social networking sites.
A search warrant executed at Garrett’s residence revealed that he had used a peer-to-peer software program to search for images of child pornography. Several images of child pornography were found on his computer.
He is facing 10 years to life in prison.
Jonathon Martin, 28, of Vincennes, IN, allegedly posted an advertisement on Craigslist wanting young girls for sex. During the investigation, the Indiana Internet Crimes Agaisnt Children (ICAC) Task Force uncovered that Martin was involved in numerous online child sexual exploitation activities.
During the execution of a search warrant this week, authorities discovered more than 20,000 child pornographic images and videos on several computers that Martin had been allegedly sharing via email clients and peer to peer file sharing sites.
Martin was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail where he is currently being held on bond.
On Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Dr. Jay Thompson of La Mesa Rotary Club presented Innocent Justice‘s President & CEO, Heather Steele with a Paul Harris Fellow Award, in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the futherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.
As part of Innocent Justice’s educational outreach campaign, Ms. Steele presents a one-hour workshop on the true nature of child pornography to various community organizations around San Diego County, including the La Mesa Rotary Club.
Paul Harris Fellow recognition was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary as a way to show appreciation for contributions to the Foundation’s charitable and educational program. A Paul Harris Fellow is an individual who contributes $1,000 or in whose name that amount is contributed. Every Paul Harris Fellow receives a pin, medallion and a certificate when he or she becomes a Fellow. This identifies the Paul Harris Fellow as an advocate of the Foundation’s goals of world peace and international understanding.
If you would be interested in having this presentation at your local community group, please contact us at (760) 944-1640 or via email at info@innocentjustice.org.
March 8, 2011
William McArthur Myeres, a 45-year-old St. Petersburg man arrested on charges of possession and distribution of child porography, is now accused of sexually battering two young boys over a period of several years, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Myers knew both boys, who also knew each other, and abused one boy multiple times between 2003 and 2009 – from age 5 to 11; the other child victim, now 12, was abused at age 8.
In February, the 13-year old boy told a friend about the abuse, who then told an adult who contacted the Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Unit. During the investigation, detectives learned that the suspect had been arrested by the FBI on child pornography charges.
Investigators ask that anyone with information regarding potential victims contact Detective Peter Doyle of the Crimes Against Children Unit at (727) 582-6200.
An investigation by the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force catches Thomas Henry Ceglarek, 53, a San Diego elementary school counselor for possessing child pornography on two computers. He now also faces charges of perjury for lying on his application to get a court-appointed attorney.
Ceglarek signed a financial affidavit claiming he was unemployed, had not received any income in the past 12 months, and requested a court appointed attorney at the government’s expense. The truth was that he was still employed by the San Diego Unified School District and making about $70,000 per year, prosecutors said.
Ceglarek is scheduled to be sentenced May 24 by U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz.
March 7, 2011
Michael Hanson, 29, of Portsmouth, NH, was arrested Friday evening after he jumped out of a window of his wife’s home when officers confronted him, according to police. Hanson was out on bail for child pornography-related charges, and was wanted for a new alleged sexual assault on a 4-year old girl.
“While police were going in the front door, he was jumping out the back,” said Sgt. Christopher Roth.
Even more disturbing, police said that also in the home with his wife, Rachel Hanson, was a 3-year-old girl, which was a violation of his bail conditions. Last year, Portsmouth police responded to a domestic violence incident at the Hanson’s home and Mrs. Hanson told police her husband downloaded child pornography on his computer, which led to his indictment on 6 felony counts of possession of child pornography.
Hanson’s bail conditions on those charges barred him from having contact with his wife and with children, according to Sgt. Roth.
A warrant for Hanson’s arrest was issued Friday, after the father of a 4-year old girl in the town of Berlin identified Hanson as the alleged assailant and said the man had previously stayed at his home. Portsmouth police searched for him in the downtown area before finding him at his wife’s mobile home.
Prosecutors will ask that he be held on no bail or very high cash bail.
Portsmouth police also arrested Rachel Hanson on Friday after she allegedly admitted she knew her husband was not supposed to be at her home or in the company of a child. She will be arraigned on April 4 on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, according to police.
Richard Shaffer, 23, of Louisa County, Virginia, was sentenced by Judge Richard Allen Cullen on Friday of 15 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of aggravated sexual battery of a toddler to 50 years with all but 10 suspended.
Shaffer’s internet service provider forwarded a cybertip to the SOVA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force “ICAC” that a computer from his resicence attempted to send an image of child pornography via e-mail. Auth0rities identified the image sent from Shaffer’s computer and Detective Patrick Siewert of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office seized the computer. Detectives performed a forensic examination of the computer where they found numerous images documenting the abuse of toddlers and prepubescent children engaged in sex acts with adult males. The cybertip about Shaffer’s computer made it believable when a toddler disclosed sexual abuse.
At the sentencing hearing Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Rusty McGuire argued “the ICAC investigation saved this child from a lifetime of abuse. Without the cybertip, I am not sure others would have believed the child was actually abused. Children under six are the most vulnerable in our system because it is difficult for adults to believe the allegations and courts to accept their testimony. This case is a victory for our children. While a toddler could not have testified in court we still obtained a conviction based on the work of the ICAC task force.”
According to a 2006 study in Butner Federal Prison, North Carolina’s sex offender treatment program, over 85% of child pornography possessors admit to having child sexual abuse victims.
March 2, 2011
On Monday, Detective Tim Brady, representing the Fraternal Order of Police, briefed Idaho lawmakers on the growing crisis of Internet crimes against children. “In 2003, it’s estimated that there were 3,600 images of child pornography. Only two years later, there were 6.5 million,” said Brady, estimating 60,000 new images hit the web every month.
The message was clear - the proliferation of child sexual abuse and torture images is growing faster than the resources to combat the problem.
Brady told lawmakers that he and his colleagues would soon be on the Capitol’s doorstep in an effort to update many of Idaho’s current laws. “Current laws on enticement don’t include scenarios where children are enticed via text,” said Brady. “The laws don’t even refer to enticement via cell phone.”
Brady also told lawmakers that he’ll be coming to them in 2012 for more money.
“The state of Idaho has no one solely dedicated to investigating Internet crimes against children,” said Brady. “Training is expensive. So is technology. Our equipment is constantly outdated and predators are constantly outpacing us.”
Some of the disturbing realities Brady shared were estimates that 20 percent of pornography involves children, with 55 percent manufactured and sold here in the United States, generating an estimated $3 billion in annual sales.
“If what I’m telling you is disturbing, prepare yourself,” Brady warned legislators. “Our records indicate that 39 percent of all child pornography involves 3 to 5 year olds. Worse yet, 19 percent involves infants and toddlers under the age of 3.”
Without increased funding, the task force can only arrest and prosecute about 1 percent of child pornographers that they fear are operating in Idaho. “There’s no reason that these people who purvey in porn shouldn’t be paying for what they’ve done,” said Brady. “And I mean literally paying. Of course these people need to go to prison, but why can’t we insist on strong restitution fines? They should pay for all of the overtime and technology needed to catch them. And if you allow us to assess the fines, the money should go into a dedicated fund to combat Internet crimes against children.”
It’s estimated that more than 100,000 websites traffic child pornography. Rest aassured, Idaho lawmakers will see Detective Brady this time next year with more statistics and an armful of recommendations for better funding and tougher laws.
March 1, 2011
The N.H. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, commanded by Det. Corey MacDonald of the Portsmouth Police Department, recently appointed a Case Review Committee in an effort to crack down on Internet child exploitation.
The committee, comprised of volunteers from state, local and county law enforcement agencies, as well as the U.S. district attorney and the NH attorney general, will provide policy guidance to the task force and make recommendations regarding prosecution and sentencing in state and federal cases.
In a press release, Commander MacDonald said he hopes the committee will help raise public awareness about Internet offenses and efforts to combat them. He said increased awareness should serve as a deterrent to such crimes.
In 2010, the N.H. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated more than 180 cases involving the possession, manufacture or distribution of child sexual abuse images.
Shane Kiser, a 29-year old Delaware man, has been charged with attempting to entice a minor and receipt and possession of child pornography.
