Trinity Mount Ministries

Showing posts with label Child Sex Trafficking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child Sex Trafficking. Show all posts

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Fayette County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Child Sex Trafficking

 


For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kristen Naylor-Legg, 30, of Gauley Bridge, was sentenced today to nine years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor under the age of 18. Naylor-Legg must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on two separate occasions in June 2020, Naylor-Legg provided her 17-year-old female relative to Larry Allen Clay Jr., so he could engage in sexual intercourse with the minor. At the time, Clay was an employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department. Naylor-Legg admitted that on the first occasion she was paid $100 by Clay. On the second occasion, Naylor-Legg indicated that Clay had agreed to pay her $50 in exchange for sexual intercourse with the minor but ultimately did not give her the money.

After four days of trial, a federal jury convicted Clay, 57, of Fayetteville, of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice. Evidence at trial proved that Clay twice arranged with Naylor-Legg to have sexual intercourse with the minor, sought to persuade Naylor-Legg to lie to law enforcement about the incidents, and also asked a law enforcement officer if his criminal conduct could be covered up.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

United States District Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Monica D. Coleman prosecuted the case.

Members of the public are urged to report suspected instances of child sex trafficking through a toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or online at www.ice.gov/tip.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACE by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-62.


Sunday, March 21, 2021

16 missing children recovered by US marshals in the Philadelphia area

Sixteen children considered critically missing were rescued during a four-week operation that concluded this week, according to the US Marshals Service office in Philadelphia.

At least four of the recovered children were connected to child sex trafficking, the marshals service said on Thursday.
Dubbed Operation Safeguard, the initiative began on February 15 when a US Marshals Service task force took over 26 missing children cases at the request of other law enforcement agencies.
The children involved are considered some of the most at-risk and challenging cases in the Philadelphia area, the marshals service said, based on high-risk factors including child sex trafficking and exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions.
    "Our hope is for a better future for the 16 children we recovered," said Eric Gartner, the US marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. "Our resolve remains steadfast in finding other children in peril."
    Deputy US marshals assigned to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force led the operation along with personnel from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Bucks County Children Youth Services, the Philadelphia Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit, and the FBI.


    Wednesday, August 19, 2020

    What to do when you find CSAM or evidence of child sex trafficking online

    In the year 2000, just about half of all American adults were online. Today, nine-in-ten adults use the internet in the United States, according to Pew Research Center.


    And in 2020, Americans, along with the rest of the world, are spending even more time online. People are spending 45% more time on social media since March of 2020 globally, with a 17% increase in the U.S., according to Statista.
    Unfortunately, as our time spent online has increased, so has the chance that we may come across abusive content on the platforms where we should all feel safe.
    Because we are not a direct-service organization, Thorn is not able to field reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or child sex trafficking. But since we build software and tools aimed at detecting, removing, and reporting abuse content, we can help to point you in the right direction should you ever inadvertently come across harmful content.
    Reporting this content through the right channels as a community helps to keep platforms safe, and could lead to the identification of a victim or help to end the cycle of abuse for survivors.
    Here’s what to do if you find CSAM or evidence of child sex trafficking online.

    Child sexual abuse material and child sex trafficking

    First we need to talk about what child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is, and how it’s different from child sex trafficking.
    Child sexual abuse material (legally known as child pornography) refers to any content that depicts sexually explicit activities involving a child. Visual depictions include photographs, videos, digital or computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor. To learn more about CSAM and why it’s a pressing issue, click here.
    As defined by the Department of Justice, child sex trafficking “refers to the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act.” To learn more, click here.
    Now let’s look at how to report this type of content should you ever come across it online:

    1. Never share content, even in an attempt to make a report

    It can be shocking and overwhelming if you see content that appears to be CSAM or related to child sex trafficking, and your protective instincts might be kicked into high gear. Please know that you are doing the right thing by wanting to report this content, but it’s critical that you do so through the right channels.
    Never share abuse content, even in an attempt to report it. Social media can be a powerful tool to create change in the right context, but keep in mind that every instance of CSAM, no matter where it’s found or what type of content it is, is a documentation of abuse committed against a child. When that content is shared, even with good intentions, it spreads that abuse and creates a cycle of trauma for victims and survivors that is more difficult to stop with every share.
    It’s also against federal law to share or possess CSAM of any kind, which is legally defined as “any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (someone under 18 years of age).” State age of consent laws do not apply under this law, meaning federally a minor is defined as anyone under the age of 18.
    The same goes if you think you’ve found illegal ads promoting the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), such as child sex trafficking. Sharing this content publicly may unwittingly extend the cycle of abuse. Instead, be sure to report content via the proper channels as outlined below.

    2. Report it to the platform where you found it

    The most popular platforms usually have guides for reporting content. Here are some of the most important to know:
    But let’s take a moment to look at reporting content to Facebook and Twitter.
    Reporting content to Facebook
    Whether you want to report a page, post, or profile to Facebook, look for the three dots to the right of the content, click on them, and then click on Find support or report Page.
    Annotated image showing how to report content to Facebook.

    From there you will be guided through the process and will get a confirmation that your report has been received. Be sure to select Involves a Child when making your report.
    Reporting content on facebook
    Reporting content on Twitter:
    While you can report a tweet for violating Twitter’s policies in a similar way to Facebook content (clicking the  button to report a tweet), if you are reporting child exploitation content on Twitter, there’s a separate process that ensures reports of CSAM or other exploitative content are given priority.
    First, click here to see what content violates Twitter’s child exploitation policies. Then fill out this form with the appropriate information, including the username of the profile that posted the content, and a link to the content in question.
    Reporting CSE on Twitter.
    To find the direct link to a tweet, click the share button at the bottom of the tweet and select Copy link to Tweet.
    Share button on Twitter.
    Copy a link to a tweet.

    For any other platforms, you should always be able to easily find a way to report abuse content with a quick online search. For example, search for: Report abusive content [platform name].
    The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also offers overviews for reporting abusive content for multiple platforms here.

    3. Report it to CyberTipline

    The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the clearinghouse for all reports of online child sexual exploitation in the United States. That means they are the only organization in the U.S. that can legally field reports of online child sexual exploitation. If NCMEC determines it to be a valid report of CSAM or CSEC, they will connect with the appropriate agencies for investigation.
    Fill out the CyberTipline report by clicking here.
    This is a critical step in addressing the sexual exploitation of children online. Be sure to fill out as much detail as you’re able.

    4. Report CSEC to the National Human Trafficking Hotline

    If you find evidence of child sex trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
    Managed by Polaris, the hotline offers 24/7 support, as well as a live chat and email option. You can also text BEFREE (233733) to discreetly connect with resources and services.

    5. Get your content removed and connect with resources

    If you have been the victim of explicit content being shared without consent, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative put together a guide for requesting content to be removed from most popular platforms.
    If you have been the victim of sextortion—a perpetrator using suggestive or explicit images as leverage to coerce you into producing abuse content—take a look at our Stop Sextortion site for more information and tips on what to do.
    NCMEC has put together a robust list of resources for survivors of sexual abuse material.

    6. Practice wellness

    Close the computer. Take a deep breath. Go for a walk.
    This is an extremely difficult issue, and if you’ve just gone through the steps above, it means you’ve recently encountered traumatic material.
    But you’ve also just taken a first step in what could ultimately be the rescue of a child or the cessation of a cycle of abuse for survivors.
    Practice the things that create balance and support in your life, and if you need to, connect with additional resources. Text the Crisis Text Line to connect discreetly with trained counselors 24/7.
    Or maybe you’re left with the feeling that there’s more work to be done. Learn more about local organizations working in this space and see if they offer volunteer opportunities. Fundraising for your favorite organizations can also make a huge difference.
    If you’re here, whether you’re making a report or just equipping yourself with knowledge should you ever need it, you’re joining a collective movement to create a better world for kids. Know that you are part of a united force for good, one that won’t stop until every child can simply be a kid.

    Thursday, February 27, 2020

    Walnut Creek arrest reveals secret world of child sex trafficking; girls as young as 9 allegedly being bought and sold in the Bay Area

    Oral surgeon investigated for sex tourism had dozens of hidden-camera devices, 1000s of child-porn images, police say


    Cassidy Lavorini-Doyle, 36, is charged with human trafficking and child porn possession. (Contra Costa County Court Records and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office)

    By NATE GARTRELL | ngartrell@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

    WALNUT CREEK — It started with a bizarre nighttime incident, in a dimly-lit area by an office building’s dumpsters, where a man allegedly drove up, attempted to pull a custodian into the car, and offered $30,000 to buy her two prepubescent daughters, there by her side.

    What began as an attempted kidnapping case has mushroomed into something that horrified even seasoned sex-crime investigators. According to court records, police have uncovered evidence that girls as young as 9 are being bought for sexual servitude in the Bay Area and linked a suspect to a cache of child pornography, evidence of overseas sex tourism, and a stash of hidden video cameras disguised as everyday household objects.

    That suspect is an Oakland man named Cassidy Lavorini-Doyle, 36, an oral surgeon who currently sits in a Contra Costa County jail awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, child porn possession, and attempted kidnapping. After his arrest, the state Attorney General’s office moved to revoke Lavorini-Doyle’s dental license, saying the allegations gave state prosecutors “grave concerns” about him interacting with children.

    Lavorini-Doyle treated children through his job, and was licensed by the state to use anesthesia. Authorities say they are still investigating the possibility that he molested patients, but no molestation charges have been filed thus far.

    The investigation started Dec. 6, at an office complex located at 165 Lennon Lane, in Walnut Creek. That evening, Lavorini-Doyle went to visit his accountant, and explained he was tens of thousands dollars in debt, and that he owed money to “bad” people, according to police.

    Due to the late hour, the office building was almost abandoned. Among the handful of people present was a young woman known in court records only as Jane Doe 1, who worked as a custodian there. She was cleaning the building and had her two daughters, both younger than 12, alongside her.

    The woman was emptying a trash bag into dumpsters behind the building when Lavorini-Doyle allegedly pulled up, hopped out of his car, and attempted to pull her inside. When she resisted, he offered her $30,000 to buy her two daughters. He said he wanted to take them that night, and that he’d return later with the money, according to police testimony.

    The girls told police he asked them,”Do you want me to be your dad?”. But before the situation progressed, another employee exited the building. Lavorini-Doyle got back in his car but continued to circle the building, and was still in the parking lot when police arrived.

    Lavorini-Doyle was briefly detained and released that evening. The following morning, he reportedly booked a $7,000 flight to Cambodia. He returned on Dec. 11 and was immediately arrested by Homeland Security agents, police said.

    By this point, a team of federal and state authorities, including Walnut Creek police, the FBI, the DHS, and the Contra Costa District Attorney were investigating Lavorini-Doyle.

    In mid-December, they served search warrants at his Oakland house, discovering dozens of secret recording devices, according to court records.

    “We found plastic coat hooks that had hidden cameras. We found pictures with frames with hidden cameras in them. We found key fobs that had hidden camera recording devices in them,” Walnut Creek Ofc. Thomas Brown testified at Lavorini-Doyle’s January preliminary hearing, according to court records. “We found notebooks that had hidden camera recording devices in them. We found what appeared to be compact mirrors or makeup mirrors that had hidden camera and recording devices in them. Found what appeared to be an alarm clock that had what appeared to be a hidden camera and recording device in it, among other stuff.”

    They also found more than 100 videos of child pornography, including one that depicted Lavorini-Doyle raping a prepubescent girl. The video referenced the girl as being 10 years old, but her identity is still unknown, police said. Investigators are still going through the videos to identify victims.

    Another box in Lavorini-Doyle’s garage had hypodermic needles, formula bottles for infants, plastic zip ties, and a meat cleaver, Brown testified.

    When authorities interviewed Lavorini-Doyle’s wife, she told them that over the course of their marriage he’d turned increasingly to pornography, and that discussing it with him only made the problem worse. She said that during his December trip to Cambodia, he’d told her that he was really going to drug rehab. A search of Lavorini-Doyle’s phone revealed he downloaded children’s songs during the flight, according to police testimony.

    On Lavorini-Doyle’s phone, police reportedly found files that included a “Cambodia sex guide for single men,” as well as evidence that he had bought roughly $35,000 in gold on a trip to Cambodia. There were also receipts for “transactions” involving 10-year-old girls, according to police testimony.

    Investigators also found evidence that Lavorini-Doyle was arranging to have prepubescent girls delivered to him in the Bay Area, police said.

    Emails in Lavorini-Doyle’s phone, according to investigators, referred to an “all but done” deal that called for “the delivery of a girl.” Lavorini-Doyle responded by setting up an October meeting in Tracy, agreeing to give the girl back two weeks later.

    On another occasion, Lavorini-Doyle discussed renting a home in Berkeley, and inquired with a child sex trafficking service if two girls could come over at the same time, police say.

    Police said on other texts, Lavorini-Doyle made specific physical demands about girls he wanted sent to him, and said he wanted to make sure “no law enforcement” caught on to what was going on.

    Wednesday, January 29, 2020

    Child sex traffickers lured boy to filthy trailer to serve as sex slave promising video games, puppy



    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Accused child sex traffickers lured two teen boys to St. Petersburg using video games, online apps and even the promise of a puppy, the I-Team uncovered in new details of the
    last year after the state’s top prosecutor revealed the victim “was moved into a filthy trailer and used as a sex slave for nearly a year.”
    Police said the men used video games and online apps, including Omegle, Roblox and Discord to find and communicate with their victims.


    Traffickers-used-gifts,-promises-to-lure-boys-1.png
    RECOMMENDED:

    A 2016 study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice estimates 36 percent of child sex trafficking victims are boys.
    Neighbors at the mobile home park told the I-Team they met and saw the first victim, a 16-year-old Marion County boy, with his accused traffickers but never suspected he “was forced to serve as their own personal sex slave” — the accusations in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the I-Team.
    The boy first met accused traffickers Mark Dennis and Andrew Clements at their April 2017 wedding. Police say he was brought to the wedding by a family friend, Eleanor McGlamory, who is also charged with conspiracy in the case.
    Court records show Dennis and Clements immediately started texting the boy using Discord, a free video and texting app, and picked him up at his home 140 miles away just three weeks later.
    Police say the men disabled the boy’s cell phone, so he couldn’t be tracked and then gave him a new name, birth date and back story.
    Mark Dennis, Andrew Clements, Curtis Gruwell and Michael Schwartz all lived in the trailer with the boy at Silver Lake Mobile Home Park. Two other men, Michael Blasdel and J.R. Gauthier, regularly visited the trailer, according to police reports.
    All six men currently face charges of conspiracy to commit human trafficking, among other charges.
    Investigators said Dennis, Clements, Blasdel and Gauthier repeatedly raped the boy for nearly a year.
    But neighbors at the trailer park told the I-Team they didn’t suspect anything unusual was going on inside the trailer until police announced the charges in early 2019.

    Nobody reported seeing anything

    The trailer was just feet away from the mobile home park’s garbage containers where residents of the 600-unit complex dump their trash.
    “As many times as I went to the garbage can — cause they live across from the garbage can — I never heard anything, never seen anything out of order,” said neighbor Allene Dixon. “They would ride by in the golf cart and wave.”
    Neighbor Mary Homerding told
    she didn’t suspect anything was amiss when she saw the first victim.
    “The kid was polite. He seemed happy,” said Homerding, who told the I-Team she saw the first victim only once, riding in a golf cart with Clements. “He introduced him as his adopted son and the boy agreed.”


    Traffickers-used-gifts,-promises-to-lure-boys-2.png

    When she didn’t see the boy again, Homerding said she figured the adoption didn’t work out.
    Homerding said neighbors didn’t suspect the men because they were well liked in the community.
    “They put on a good front,” said Homerding. “They were always polite. They joked around.”
    Groover-Skipper said it’s not uncommon that neighbors didn’t noticed a child sex trafficking victim was living in their midst.
    “People are so busy that they go about their life and they don’t always look at clues or look at signs that something could be wrong,” said Groover-Skipper. “It’s so under the radar most of the time that the majority of the world has no clue that this type of thing is going on.”
    Abigale Ackerman said she met the first victim when the men brought the boy to a Pasco County pagan festival in early 2018.
    “I asked him if there was anything going on. It seemed like he was really depressed,” said Ackerman.
    She told the I-Team Dennis offered to pay her $2,000 to make the boy a fantasy costume, but the deal never happened.
    “They wanted me to make him a blue and white husky suit for his birthday,” said Ackerman, who revealed the men also showered the boy with other gifts. “(They gave him) expensive things like game consoles, a full blooded husky puppy that they bought him.”
    The police reported finding that husky in the trailer after the boys were rescued.
    Groover-Skipper said the gifts are all part of the grooming process traffickers use on victims.
    “Even though there may not be physical chains around a victim, around a person, they have mental and emotional chains around a person,” said Groover-Skipper.

    Whips, masks and text messages

    Police also reported finding whips, leather masks and bondage tools inside the trailer.
    According to police reports, Mark Dennis called himself “Grand Master” and referred to the other men and the boy as his “pups” during bondage rituals. The entire group referred themselves as the boy’s “family circle,” police said.
    Groover-Skipper said traffickers know how to prey on victims’ deep-rooted need to belong and be part of a family.
    But police recovered text messages showing the boy was unhappy
    “I’m stressed to high hell,” the boy texted nearly a year into captivity. “I don’t want sex all the time.”
    One of his abusers replied, “Which is such a shame when such a tight group of people who love you have come into your life.”
    In 2018, police reported the men met a new victim online — a 17-year-old Louisiana boy they convinced to come live with them.
    Eleanor McGlamory and Curtis Gruwell drove about 10 hours to pick the boy up in the woods near his rural Louisiana home in the dead of night, court records show.
    Three days later, Louisiana police found the boy's online messages and alerted St. Petersburg Police, who found the missing Louisiana boy and the Marion County boy and rescued them from the trailer.
    All seven suspects are currently behind bars awaiting trial, which is set for early May.
    RECOMMENDED:

    The Florida Attorney General's Office says Blasdel, Gruwell and Gauthier have entered plea agreements and have agreed to testify at the trial.
    The Florida Department of Children and Families says it's important to manage your child's use of multimedia by setting ground rules, explaining safety rules, keeping the computer in a common room and monitoring online activity.
    For information on the agency's resources, visit
    The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has age appropriate information for children and their parents to learn how to protect themselves online and avoid becoming a victim.
    You can find information by visiting:
    If you believe you are a victim of Human Trafficking or suspect an adult is a victim of human trafficking, please visit the
    or call them at 1-888-3737-888. If you suspect a child is a victim, please call the
    at 1-800-96-ABUSE

    Friday, December 13, 2019

    13-Year-Old Florida Girl Sold To More Than 100 Men For Sex In Less Than A Month In Trafficking Operation

    The teen reportedly was sold for sex so many times, the traffickers nicknamed her "breadmaker," the court document stated.


    With more parents and young adults being increasingly vigilant about sex trafficking, one Florida teenager’s story reinforces the perils of the predatory act.

    The teenager said she ran away from home and was subsequently recruited by sex traffickers, including women police later identified as Souprina Blanc and 19-year-old Racquel Bijou. According to the criminal complaint filed by the girl, both Blanc and Bijou insisted that she have sex in exchange for money with several older men, some reportedly at least 50 years old.

    Despite the girl reportedly telling Bijou that she was underage, she was instructed to tell everyone she was 21.

    The Sun-Sentinel reports that the document also detailed an instance where Bijou allegedly told the girl to take photos of herself which were later sent to 22-year-old Jeremiah Horenstein and 25-year-old Ashton Lewinson. The two men reportedly posted photos of the girl to a backpage website, advertising sex work. Following the ad being posted, the girl was instructed to sleep with more than 100 men.

    According to the document, she was sold for sex so much that her traffickers dubbed her “breadmaker.”

    After disappearing, the teen contacted a family member via text, telling them that she had sex with “so many people.” Frightened about the girl’s safety, the family member provided authorities with the teen’s phone records.

    Investigators in Miami-Dade County and the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force were able to plan a sting operation on June 11, during which the girl was recovered and Blanc was arrested.

    According to court documents, officers found an unidentified female naked in the bedroom and a naked man hiding in the shower during the sting.

    Bijou, Horenstein and Lewinson were subsequently arrested in August and November.  All four suspects are charged with sex trafficking a minor and are being held without bond. Bijou pleaded guilty on November 19. If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum of life in prison.

    In recent months, there's been heightened awareness around human trafficking.

    In February, an Atlanta-area sex-trafficking sting led to the arrests of 169 people around the time of Super Bowl LIII. Nine children were rescued during the operation reports 11Alive. Additionally, individual stories of sex traffickers and their victims have become increasingly repeated occurrences in news cycles.

    On Thursday, a North Carolina man was sentenced to prison for sex trafficking a minor in Miami, CBS Miami reports. She eventually escaped him. Earlier this year, after a New Jersey teen was missing, her photos later appeared on sex trafficking websites. She was later found safe in Philadelphia as Blavity previously reported.

    The National Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-888-373-7888.



    Saturday, November 23, 2019

    Cyber Crimes Victimizing Kids Up - Funding Down



    by Jon Chrisos

    Reports of online child sexual abuse imagery are growing exponentially, according to new data reviewed by the I-Team.

    In 1998, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received about 3,000 reports.

    In 2018, NCMEC received 18.4 million reports containing 45 million images.

    Police in charge of fighting it are struggling to keep up.

    "If it happened to me it could happen to other kids," Alicia Kozakiewicz said.

    When she was 13-years-old, she was groomed, lured, and abducted by an internet predator, Scott Tyree, who is still in prison for the crime.

    "He kidnapped me and held me captive in his basement dungeon and he was going to kill me," Kozakiewicz said.

    Her disappearance set off a massive, four-day nationwide search while Tyree kept her chained to the floor at his home in Virginia.

    "He had been live streaming what he was doing to me online. They turned on the computer and there I was on the screen with my hands bound above my head, crying, bleeding, begging," Kozakiewicz said.

    Alicia Kozakiewicz

    In 2008, she testified in Congress in support of legislation intended to prevent cyber crimes against children and the increasing amount of photos and videos of child abuse.

    "In between the beatings and the raping he will hang you by your arms," Kozakiewicz said. "Support the children, save us from pedophiles, the pornographers, the monsters."

    The bill passed in the House and the Senate, but since then, the I-Team finds the problem has only gotten worse.

    "It's a lot easier for offenders to find kids. Technology is providing an opportunity for offenders to save more content, share more content," NCMEC Exploited Child Division Executive Director Lindsey Olsen said.

    New research published by Google, NCMEC and Thorn says the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse imagery is at a breaking point, exceeding the capabilities of law enforcement to take action.

    "These are children, these are babies who are being brutalized and tortured on film for other people to enjoy it," Kozakiewicz said.

    Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Dropbox are legally required to report images of child sexual abuse on their platforms.

    Since Congress passed the PROTECT law in 2008, reports have increased exponentially from 100,000 a year to more than 18 million.

    "We're certainly seeing a drastic increase as well," Maine Computer Crimes Unit Commanding Officer Lt. Scott Ireland said.

    The unit is one of 61 task forces nationwide trying to keep up.

    "I don't think most people have any idea just how big a problem it is," Ireland said.

    Numbers reviewed by the I-Team show last year this unit investigated 505 reports of child sexual abuse imagery, and already this year, they've seen about 900 cases.

    The unit has made dozens of arrests this year, including a former top-ranking school official in Bangor and a Skowhegan babysitter. Both men are accused of possessing sexually explicit material of children.

    "If we don't bring a case to fruition today these kids are still being victimized," Ireland said.

    Despite a proliferation of abuse reports, federal funding for units like this one is flat.

    In fact, numbers we obtained from the Department of Justice show funding is consistently less than half of the $60 million a year authorized by the PROTECT law in 2008.

    "It certainly makes it tougher. It would help us put more people on the ground doing investigations," Ireland said.

    The author of the 2008 law, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Florida), recently sent a letter to the DOJ.

    "This program has been underfunded and under supported, due to the lack of prioritization from the DOJ ... Meaning it has failed to make preventing and rescuing children from internet crimes a priority," Wasserman-Schultz said.

    Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was a co-sponsor of the 2008 legislation.

    "As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I strongly support increasing resources to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous acts and to prevent children from becoming victims," Collins said.

    We reached out to the DOJ for a response to the letter, but we didn't hear back.

    "We have to fund these task forces this is happening, there are predators out there," Kozakiewicz said.

    Right now Kozakiewicz is going state by state, working with PROTECT, trying to pass Alicia's Law to provide a dedicated stream of state funding.

    The law is on the books in 12 states, but not yet in Maine.

    However, the Maine legislature recently approved money to hire four more people in the Computer Crimes Unit.


    Sunday, September 22, 2019

    Ohio child sex trafficking sting nabs more than 100, including church leader, ER doctor


    By Danielle Wallace - Fox News

    Ohio police make over 100 arrests in massive human trafficking and child sex sting.

    More than 100 are arrested in Ohio on charges linked to human trafficking and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The arrests were made during a four-part simultaneous operation involving more than 30 law enforcement agencies. Over 40 women were also arrested for prostitution, with some being placed in a human trafficking rehabilitation program.

    More than 100 people, including a medical doctor and a church youth director, were arrested as part of a massive human trafficking and child sex sting operation based in central Ohio, according to a report.

    Those arrested included 24 men caught when they showed up at an undisclosed location with the intention of meeting a child for sex, Maj. Steven Tucker of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said.

    "They show up with sex toys, they show up with lubrication. They show up with things that clearly somebody isn't going to show up to a house with, unless they intended to engage in sexual activity."

    — Maj. Steven Tucker, Franklin County Sheriff's Office

    The 24 suspects were charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and importuning, Columbus’ WBNS-TV reported.

    The total group of 104 suspects included Christian Gibson, 26, a former youth director at Redeemer's at Courtright Church in Columbus, and Austin Kosier, 31, an emergency room doctor, authorities said, adding that the sting was focused on Franklin, Fairfield and Delaware counties.


    Christian Gibson, 26, left, a former church youth director, and Austin Kosier, 31, a medical doctor were both charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and importuning, authorities say.

    Tuesday, July 23, 2019

    Oil Company ‘Man Camps’ in ND Terrorizing & Sex Trafficking Native American Kids and Adults (Article from December 5, 2017)


    Camps popping up all over North Dakota have been infiltrated by sex traffickers and criminal gangs who are preying on the local native children and adults alike.
    by John Vibes

    New Town, ND – The recent disappearance of a 32-year-old mother has shed new light on the growing problem of violence against women that live near the booming oil fields of North Dakota. Over a month ago, Olivia Lone Bear went missing from Fort Berthold Reservation and has not been heard from since.

    In a recent interview, lawyer Mary Kathryn Nagle, who is helping the family with the investigation, pointed out that violence against women in this particular area has been steadily increasing since the oil companies came to town.

    “We have the highest rates across the United States, again, in Indian Country, of violence, but in particular in North Dakota, where the rates of oil extraction have skyrocketed since 2005 in the Bakken oil boom. As a result of that, over 100,000 men from outside the state of North Dakota have moved to the state of North Dakota to live in man camps that the oil companies have set up. And unfortunately, as Senator Heidi Heitkamp has noted, as the former U.S. Attorney for the state of North Dakota has noted, the resulting rates of violence, drug of course, and crime and burglary have skyrocketed, but also in particular, domestic violence and sexual assault, including rape and sex trafficking,” Nagle said.

    “Numerous leaders both at the state and federal level have now noticed that North Dakota—some of the towns in North Dakota within the Bakken boom and some within the Fort Berthold reservation, where Olivia is from, now some have some of the highest rates of sex trafficking in the United States,” she added.

    Former Rosebud Sioux Tribe Police ChiefGrace Her Many Horses warned about these camps in a 2014 interview, saying that, “This tribal police department isn’t equipped to handle what’s going to happen out there when the Man Camp arrives. The infrastructure of the towns on this Indian reservation will be forced to expand then months later it will collapse onto itself. Because I’ve witnessed it doing just that… what I am saying up there in Newtown, ND. It’s going to be really scary. Realistically speaking, we’re going to need to setup a substation for the area nearest to the Man Camp, and we got have people on call 24 hours a day there too. I don’t know how we are going to deal with that just yet. We are overwhelmed as is stands right now. Once the Man Camp moves in…” she added.


    Pop up trailer cities where tens of thousands of oil workers come to live have become known locally as “man camps.” These camps are filled with workers who have been shipped in from all over the country, and while the majority of them are just trying to take any job they can get in a tough economy, there is a very dangerous criminal element that goes unchecked in and around these camps.

    According to the Boston Globe, there are over 35 corporations extracting oil and “man camps” that stretch for miles just on the Fort Berthold reservation alone. A 2013 report in the Bismark Tribune showed rates of crime increasing across the board in the state, with Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem placing the blame directly on the growing oil industry and the camps that come along with it. More recent numbers show that the state’s crime rate increased by nearly 10% in 2015 and has stayed at that level, despite a slight increase of less than a percentage point in 2016.

    North Dakota U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon told the AP that, “Our police and prosecutors are going to have to adapt to keep pace. We have organized criminal gangs selling drugs, sex trafficking, and out-of-state flim-flam men coming in. And the cases have become more and more complicated."

    Former Rosebud Sioux Tribe Police Chief Grace Her Many Horses warned about these camps in a 2014 interview, saying that, “This tribal police department isn’t equipped to handle what’s going to happen out there when the Man Camp arrives. The infrastructure of the towns on this Indian reservation will be forced to expand then months later it will collapse onto itself. Because I’ve witnessed it doing just that… what I am saying up there in Newtown, ND. It’s going to be really scary. Realistically speaking, we’re going to need to setup a substation for the area nearest to the Man Camp, and we got have people on call 24 hours a day there too. I don’t know how we are going to deal with that just yet. We are overwhelmed as is stands right now. Once the Man Camp moves in…”

    The Tribal Police departments are also prevented from having jurisdiction over the non-tribal crime, which has presented a major roadblock in solving these cases, especially since the issue does not seem to be a priority to non-tribal law enforcement. In 2015, the FBI opened a fully staffed office in the area, but in the two years that they have been around there has been no improvement, and now there is another missing person with no major leads from the agency.




    Tuesday, July 9, 2019

    Conspiracy of Silence (1993) - Unaired Documentary

    "Conspiracy of Silence" is a Discovery Channel documentary that never aired from 1993, concerning high level government officials involved in child sex trafficking and abuse. 

    An important and powerful testimony of alleged government corruption and cover-up, using intimation and scare tactics to silence the child victims and those who attempted to expose the government officials involved in this child sexual abuse ring.

    Watch this banned documentary for yourself and draw your own conclusions concerning the testimonies of the child abuse victims and those who tried to give them a voice - so that this conspiracy will no longer be hidden and covered up, ending the reign of silence.