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CyberTipline® Success Stories July 2012
Child
Pornography Suspect Arrested; Child Rescued
On
Feb. 26, 2012, the CyberTipline received
five reports from a registered Electronic Service Provider (ESP)
regarding a user who had reportedly emailed sexually abusive
images of pre-pubescent children to another individual using
their service. The ESP provided
information, including an email address, screen name,
and zip code associated with the reported suspect.
An Exploited Children Division (ECD) analyst quickly traced the reported zip
code to a location in Connecticut. Through extensive
online searches of the reported email address, she found an online
profile containing important clues, including:
• A possible nickname and last name for the suspect • Various postings made by the suspect using a mobile device that originated from different cities in Connecticut • A message alluding to the suspect’s first name • A photo album containing various images of an adult male with two female children • References to the children’s names, ages, and the older child’s date of birth • The name of the suspect’s wife
After
finding a potential full name and location, the analyst conducted
public records database searches that yielded one possible match.
The information not only corroborated the spouse’s name located
on the profile, but also confirmed the connection between the
individual identified by the analyst and the email address provided
by the ESP. The analyst quickly forwarded the CyberTipline report
to the Connecticut Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task
Force, an OJJDP-funded program operated out of the Connecticut
State Police.
Connecticut State Troopers promptly contacted the reporting ESP and were granted access to the suspect’s email account, where they found an alarming video depicting the sexual abuse of a previously unidentified child victim. As a result, ICAC investigators, along with representatives from the local police department, executed a search warrant on the suspect’s home the following day. Law enforcement seized several items from the residence and conducted an on-scene examination, which returned over 300 child pornography images. On April 13, 2012, the 28-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with Possession of Child Pornography in the First Degree, Promoting a Minor in an Obscene Performance, and Obscenity. Unfortunately, this was the tip of the iceberg. Investigators identified the child featured in the video found in the suspect’s email account and subsequently charged him with six counts of Sexual Assault in the First degree, five counts of Sexual Assault in the Fourth degree, and ten counts of Risk of Injury to a Child. If convicted of all of the charges, the suspect faces a sentence of 35 years to life in prison.
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