Rabbi, Scout Leader and Cop Arrested in NY Child Pornography Bust
A senior official from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced Wednesday the arrest of 71 individuals for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children in Operation Caireen, the largest-ever enforcement operation in New York targeting predators who possess, produce or distribute sexually explicit images of children.
Special Agent in Charge James T. Hayes Jr., head of the HSI New York office, made the announcement in Manhattan with Queens County District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson, Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr., New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the Eastern District of New York Lisa Kramer, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the Southern District of New York Joan Loughnane, Special Agent in Charge for the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service Otis E. Harris Jr., Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Thomas J. Cannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the United States Secret Service Michael Seremetis, Chief of the General Crimes Section for the Eastern District of New York Patrick Sinclair, Chief of the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office William Barbera, and Putnam County District Attorney’s Office Senior Investigator Henry Lopez.
As part of Operation Caireen, which began April 4 and ran until May 15, HSI special agents, New York City Police Department detectives and other law enforcement partners surreptitiously infiltrated peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks to identify users in the New York City metropolitan area who sought to acquire or distribute known or suspected images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activities.
Throughout the course of the operation, investigators identified nearly 150 distinct Internet protocol addresses actively involved in trading sexually explicit images of children registered to users in the New York City metropolitan area. In addition to the 71 arrests, investigators lawfully seized nearly 600 computing devices during the execution of 87 search warrants, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and thumb drives containing more than 175 terabytes of data that includes tens of thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of children. Some of the defendants arrested possessed libraries of sexually explicit images and videos of children numbering in the thousands.
One of the defendants had been previously convicted of sexually abusing a child; another is charged with producing and distributing child pornography involving her own young child.
Several of the defendants facing charges held positions of public trust, including two police officers, two registered nurses, a paramedic, an au pair and an individual who served as both a den master with the Boy Scouts of America and a little league baseball coach.
“The sheer volume of confirmed and suspected instances of individuals engaging in the sexual exploitation of children identified through Operation Caireen is shocking, and the professional backgrounds of many of the defendants is troubling,” says James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. “We can no longer assume that the only people who would stoop to prey on children are unemployed drifters.
“Clearly, this criminal activity has reached epidemic proportions, and ICE HSI will continue to partner across jurisdictions to target those adults who egregiously violate the children of our communities.”
Police Commissioner William J. Bratton says, “The individuals identified today allegedly utilized the Internet to possess, distribute and promote horrific acts against defenseless victims. The indictments represent a strong collaborative effort between law enforcement partners, sending the message to sexual predators that abuse against children is beyond reproach and violators will be vigorously sought and brought to justice.”
“The law enforcement community is committed to eliminating the horrific market for child pornography, one defendant at a time,” says U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch, Eastern District of New York. “The arrests and seizures announced today send an unequivocal message to those who engage in trading child pornography—if you exploit our children and their abuse, you will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara adds, “Crimes involving the exploitation of children are particularly disturbing because they victimize the most vulnerable members of our society. This includes the possession and distribution of images of child pornography. Such images are not merely photos or videos; they are evidence of the physical and psychological abuse of children. Today’s announcement shows the commitment of federal and state prosecutors and investigators to protect children from exploitation.”
“My office is committed to the vigorous prosecution of those who sexually exploit children through the use of the Internet and peer-to-peer networks,” notes Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “It must be remembered that the images involved in these cases are of real children being sexually abused and that each time an image is viewed, traded, printed or downloaded, the child in that image is being victimized again.”
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. says, “Images of child sexual assault capture real crimes being committed against real children. Each time that one of these recordings of a violent sexual assault is downloaded and viewed by a stranger over the Internet, that child is being victimized all over again. Crimes against children are unforgivable, especially those perpetrated by individuals in positions of trust. I thank our partners in law enforcement for their commitment to stopping the abuse of children.”
“This case underscores the crucial importance of Internet surveillance initiatives by law enforcement to protect children from sexual predators,” says Kings County District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson. “Each of these defendants—five of whom presently have cases pending in Kings County—is responsible for revictimizing the children who appear in these despicable videos each time they view or share the files. These are real children whose abuse and victimization has been videotaped for the entertainment of an unfortunately large population of twisted individuals. I commend Homeland Security Investigations for initiating Operation Caireen.”
Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. says, “The confiscated videos are nothing more than sadomasochistic snuff films showcasing a defenseless child—be they an infant, a toddler or a teen—being repeatedly raped and/or sexually assaulted. These are videotaped crime scenes watched by predators lurking in the shadows of the Internet. I want to thank my assistant, Ann Thompson, and the agents of ICE-Homeland Security Investigations for bringing these crimes to light and the defendants to justice.”
“Our success in this case and other similar investigations is a result of our close work with our law enforcement partners,” says Brian Swain, acting special agent in charge, United States Secret Service, New York Field Office. “The Secret Service worked closely with HSI, the NYPD, and other law enforcement partners to share information and resources that ultimately led to the arrest of 71 individuals. This case demonstrates there is no such thing as anonymity for those engaging in child exploitation and unlawful acts.”
“The Department of Homeland Security is asking for the public to be watchful, to help identify those individuals responsible for child pornography, and we’re counting on those with information to come forward,” says Otis E. Harris Jr., special agent in charge of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, New York Field Office. “No bit of information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is too small. Each piece moves us forward toward justice and disrupting the crime of child pornography. It is extremely important to contact authorities with any information regarding child pornography.”
“We applaud the efforts of HSI New York for the outstanding results of Operation Caireen,” says John Ryan, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “The success of this operation highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies on large-scale investigations. Their tireless work helps ensure that the most vulnerable in our society—our children—can be safer.”
