Trinity Mount Ministries

Showing posts with label cbs news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cbs news. Show all posts

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Nearly 100 arrested in global child sex abuse operation launched after murder of FBI agents

BY EMILY MAE CZACHOR CBS NEWS


Close to 100 people have been arrested in Australia and the United States in connection with a global online child abuse network uncovered in the aftermath of a high-profile murder of two FBI agents, authorities announced this week. 

The myriad charges for alleged child abuse stem from the killings of two FBI special agents, Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, who were fatally shot in 2021 while serving a warrant in Sunrise, Florida, to search the apartment of a suspect allegedly tied to a case involving violent crimes against children

fbi-agents-schwartzenberger-alfin.jpg
FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger and FBI Special Agent Dan Alfin were shot and killed in the line of duty serving a search warrant in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2021.FBI

The deaths of Alfin and Schwartzenberger, who both specialized in investigating crimes against children, spurred a wider international probe into an illicit online platform whose members are accused of sharing child abuse material on the dark web, according to the Australian Federal Police. 

news release
 as a "sophisticated" digital network. Members are believed to have produced, searched for and distributed images and videos of child abuse material on the dark web, officials said. 

Two people have been sentenced in Australia for their ties to the massive investigation, while the others have active cases in court, according to the federal police. In addition to the 19 arrests, authorities also removed 13 Australian children from harm over the course of the probe. Federal police allege some of those children were "directly abused" and others were removed as a precaution.

Called "Operation Bakis," the joint investigation involving state and local authorities in various parts of Australia ran alongside a U.S. investigation led by the FBI. The FBI investigation has so far led to the arrests of 79 people allegedly connected to the online network, the Australian Federal Police said. That probe has led to the convictions of 43 people for child abuse offenses, the Associated Press reported.

The suspects — who were arrested across Australia, including in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia — collectively face 138 charges related to the investigation. One suspect described as a "public servant" by federal police was already sentenced to 14 1/2 years in prison in June after pleading guilty to 24 charges. The same month, a call center operator on the NSW Central Coast was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to possession of an estimated five terabytes of child abuse material.

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AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

"The success of Operation Bakis was only possible because of the close working relationship between the AFP-led ACCCE [Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation] and the FBI, and our dedicated personnel who never give up working to identify children who are being sexually assaulted or living with someone who is sharing child abuse material," said Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider in a statement. 

Schneider added that "the lengths that these alleged offenders went to in order to avoid detection makes them especially dangerous - the longer they avoid detection the longer they can perpetuate the cycle of abuse."

Most of the suspects in Australia worked in jobs that required a high degree of knowledge in the field of information communications technology, the federal police said, noting that alleged members of the online platform "used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network." The suspects are accused of using methods like encryption to remain anonymous online and avoid being identified by law enforcement.

Both Australian and U.S. authorities noted that the success of Operation Bakis hinged on cooperation between agencies in both countries.

"The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no agency or country can fight these threats alone," FBI legal attaché Nitiana Mann said in a separate statement. "As we continue to build bridges through collaboration and teamwork, we can ensure the good guys win and the bad guys lose."

Mann said the FBI alerted authorities in other countries to additional suspects in their jurisdictions who are allegedly connected to the online child abuse ring, but did not did say which countries, according to the Associated Press.


Sunday, April 18, 2021

Asian American Parents Discuss Bullying, Racism With Their Kids

The Senate will vote on a bill addressing hate crimes against Asian Americans on Wednesday amid a surge in AAPI hate crimes. The bill comes as many Asian American parents are now discussing with their kids about the bullying, racism, and violence that they may encounter.

As a father to two young boys, New Jersey Democratic Congressman Andy Kim finds himself reflecting on the first time he was targeted for being Korean American. He said he was about six years old when a group of older kids mocked his appearance.

"Saying things like, 'How can I see through these slanty eyes' and, oh, 'He's Chinese or Japanese, oh, it doesn't matter.' It's honestly one of the earliest memories that I can remember at all in my life," Kim told CBS News' Elaine Quijano.

"He said a bigger kid kept telling him, 'Call him China Boy, Chinese boy' over and over again. And my son just kind of laughed it off and was just like, 'I kept telling him, I'm a New Jersey boy.' And it was so sweet that he said that and I could tell it bothered him," Kim said.

He said that he told his son "that he did the right thing" but struggled to find words to comfort him.

"But at that point, I was really floundering and I really struggled to figure out the right words to say... what should I do in preparing myself to have this conversation with my kid?" Kim said.

Those tough conversations about race are something developmental psychologist Tiffany Yip believes parents of all backgrounds should start early.

"I think it's really important for us to think about how we could teach our kids to speak up for their peers. I think if we can empower our children to speak up more for each other, they'll also learn to speak up for themselves better," Yip said.

It's an approach Jane Park is using in Seattle with her two children. Park's conversation came in the wake of the Georgia shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. Her video that showed Park talking to her seven-year-old son Bennett about the issue went viral and has been viewed over two million times.

"I was saddened because he's so young. It's just the reality that so many AAPI families are facing is that this is no longer a conversation that we can kind of table for a later time," Park said.

Park said she wants to prepare her children to respond to all hate, no matter who the target.

CBS correspondent Elaine Quijano asked Bennett, "If you were on the playground and you saw somebody else, and they were being bullied just because of how they look, what would you do?" she asked.

"I would say that's not right, and you should be better," Bennett said.

Congressman Kim is going through his own personal reckoning. He's just now learning about years of discrimination his parents endured quietly as immigrants.

"The question for us and our generation is, 'Are we going to accept that there's just a certain baseline of foreignness and xenophobia and discrimination that we just have to accept?' And I say no, this is a moment where many of us feel empowered to say that 'This is just not right and yes... we belong,'" he said.

Psychologists report that children are able to understand the concept of race as young as age three, and that's why parents should start these conversations early, so children aren't left to try to make sense of things on their own.

Yip recommends that one place to start is parents expressing to their children how bias makes them feel, which can then open the door for kids to voice their own feelings.



Friday, September 16, 2011

Amber Alert Issued For Missing Delaware Child And Mother:

(Credit: Del. State Police)
(Credit: Del. State Police)

DELAWARE (CBS)- Delaware State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing mother, 19-year-old Lizzet Vasquez and her 4-year-old son, Andy Lee Martinez.
The boy is described having brown hair and brown eyes.
Officials are asking the public the public to be on the lookout for a suspect named William Cuellar, who is driving a white SUV with Georgia plates. The second letter on the plate is a Q.  (See More.)

Monday, September 5, 2011

What's behind the spike in U.S. child poverty?

What's behind the spike in U.S. child poverty?

August 17, 2011 4:16 PM CBS News:

According to a new report, there has been a spike in the number of American children living in poverty over the past decade - from 17 percent to 20 percent. Bill Whitaker explains what's behind the increase.
http://tinyurl.com/3lbjus3
www.cbsnews.com
CBS News video: What's behind the spike in U.S. child poverty? - According to a new report, there has been a spike in the number of American children living in poverty over the past decade - from 17 percent to 20 percent. Bill Whitaker explains what's behind the increase. (More)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

CBP enforcement identifies 29 fugitives - man wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a child:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/08192011_3.xml

(Friday, August 19, 2011) contacts for this news release



El Paso, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at ports of entry in El Paso, West Texas, and New Mexico identified 138 violations during the past week. CBP officers apprehended fugitives, identified immigration violations, seized drugs, and confiscated prohibited agriculture items during the last seven days.
 
CBP officers working at area ports identified 29 fugitives during the previous week including one man who was wanted in Houston on aggravated sexual assault on a child charges. The arrest was made Aug. 14 at the Paso Del Norte pedestrian crossing when 55-year-old Lucio Reyes Alvarez was identified as a wanted subject, as CBP officers processed his entry document. CBP officers confirmed the warrant and took custody of the subject without incident. He was turned over to the El Paso Police Department and booked into the El Paso County Jail where he is currently detained.
 
“The CBP inspection process routinely results in fugitives being identified and apprehended,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Ana B. Hinojosa. “El Paso is recognized as one of the safest large cities in the U.S. and we believe that the work being done by CBP personnel at area ports of entry have helped the city achieve that notable rank. In this case specifically, our officers prevented a person wanted for being a sexual predator against children, from being able to enter our city and our neighborhoods.” (More.)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Infant goes missing after court brawl in Detroit:

(CBS/AP) DETROIT - The search is on in Detroit for a missing 4-month-old girl after a fight erupted at a court hearing. The brawl broke out after custody of the child was awarded to her father. Somehow, the baby was lost in the mayhem.


Infant Evelyn Daniel goes missing after court brawl

Last week during a domestic dispute, the infant's father Damon Daniel allegedly shot and killed the girl's mother Ebony Gaines. However, Wayne County prosecutors said Daniel acted in self-defense. Thursday, Gaines' cousin brought their four-month-old baby, Evelyn, to a custody hearing where a referee granted custody back to Daniel.

According to local station WJBK, a security guard passed off the baby to a mysterious woman when the scuffle broke out.

"(There) was so much going on, (there were) so many officers, so many people, pepper spray, everything," said friend Shandela Vaughn to the station.

However, no one knows the woman's identity.

Prior to the hearing, Evelyn had been cared for by the Gaines family. But now, both sides of the child's family claim they know nothing about the child's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Detroit police took a kidnapping report but the state police did not issue an amber report. Sources also told the station that on Thursday night police were searching for the baby and they would visit the families to see if anyone had the child.
Anyone with information on Evelyn's whereabouts is asked to contact the Detroit Police Department at 313-267-4600 or call the DPD tip line at 313-596-2313.