The Washington Times is reporting that two-year investigation known as "Operation Delego" targeted more than 500 persons worldwide who were involved in a private members-only, online bulletin board known as "Dreamboard" where images and videos of children being sexually abused were traded.
According to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., club members traded images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years-old and under. Many of these images were violent, with the victims in obvious pain and crying, which was one of the rules for a certain section of the bulletin board.
At a news conference at the Justice Department, the attorney general called the criminal activity a "nightmare for the children" with some of them being just infants.
The amount of child porn swapped by participants in the network was massive, amounting to the equivalent of 16,000 DVDs.
“The members of this criminal network shared a demented dream to create the preeminent online community for the promotion of child sexual exploitation but for the children they victimized, this was nothing short of a nightmare,” Mr. Holder said. “This operation marks another important step forward in our work to protect children across — and beyond — this country.
“Our nation’s fight to protect the rights, interests, and safety of children goes on, and it will continue to be a top priority of this Justice Department,” he said.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, who heads the Justice Department’s criminal division, described Dreamboard as a global community of pedophiles who were dedicated to the relentless victimization and exploitation of children under the age of 12.
“Using sophisticated methods to evade detection by law enforcement, Dreamboard members allegedly used the power and anonymity of the Internet to motivate each other to commit their horrific acts of sexual abuse of minors and trading in child pornography,” Breuer said. “No matter how savvy online predators think they are, we will find them, dismantle their networks, and bring them to justice.”
Of the 72 people charged, 43 have been arrested in this country and nine abroad. Another 20 remain at large.
Authorities have arrested people in 13 other countries - Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland, with some being arrested on local rather than the U.S. charges.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Feds Charge 72 People in Massive Child Porn Ring
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The largest-ever investigation of international child porn networks resulted in charging 72 people with the crime of disseminating graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse.
The Washington Times is reporting that two-year investigation known as "Operation Delego" targeted more than 500 persons worldwide who were involved in a private members-only, online bulletin board known as "Dreamboard" where images and videos of children being sexually abused were traded.
According to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., club members traded images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years-old and under. Many of these images were violent, with the victims in obvious pain and crying, which was one of the rules for a certain section of the bulletin board.
At a news conference at the Justice Department, the attorney general called the criminal activity a "nightmare for the children" with some of them being just infants.
The amount of child porn swapped by participants in the network was massive, amounting to the equivalent of 16,000 DVDs.
“The members of this criminal network shared a demented dream to create the preeminent online community for the promotion of child sexual exploitation but for the children they victimized, this was nothing short of a nightmare,” Mr. Holder said. “This operation marks another important step forward in our work to protect children across — and beyond — this country.
“Our nation’s fight to protect the rights, interests, and safety of children goes on, and it will continue to be a top priority of this Justice Department,” he said.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, who heads the Justice Department’s criminal division, described Dreamboard as a global community of pedophiles who were dedicated to the relentless victimization and exploitation of children under the age of 12.
“Using sophisticated methods to evade detection by law enforcement, Dreamboard members allegedly used the power and anonymity of the Internet to motivate each other to commit their horrific acts of sexual abuse of minors and trading in child pornography,” Breuer said. “No matter how savvy online predators think they are, we will find them, dismantle their networks, and bring them to justice.”
Of the 72 people charged, 43 have been arrested in this country and nine abroad. Another 20 remain at large.
Authorities have arrested people in 13 other countries - Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland, with some being arrested on local rather than the U.S. charges.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
The Washington Times is reporting that two-year investigation known as "Operation Delego" targeted more than 500 persons worldwide who were involved in a private members-only, online bulletin board known as "Dreamboard" where images and videos of children being sexually abused were traded.
According to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., club members traded images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years-old and under. Many of these images were violent, with the victims in obvious pain and crying, which was one of the rules for a certain section of the bulletin board.
At a news conference at the Justice Department, the attorney general called the criminal activity a "nightmare for the children" with some of them being just infants.
The amount of child porn swapped by participants in the network was massive, amounting to the equivalent of 16,000 DVDs.
“The members of this criminal network shared a demented dream to create the preeminent online community for the promotion of child sexual exploitation but for the children they victimized, this was nothing short of a nightmare,” Mr. Holder said. “This operation marks another important step forward in our work to protect children across — and beyond — this country.
“Our nation’s fight to protect the rights, interests, and safety of children goes on, and it will continue to be a top priority of this Justice Department,” he said.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, who heads the Justice Department’s criminal division, described Dreamboard as a global community of pedophiles who were dedicated to the relentless victimization and exploitation of children under the age of 12.
“Using sophisticated methods to evade detection by law enforcement, Dreamboard members allegedly used the power and anonymity of the Internet to motivate each other to commit their horrific acts of sexual abuse of minors and trading in child pornography,” Breuer said. “No matter how savvy online predators think they are, we will find them, dismantle their networks, and bring them to justice.”
Of the 72 people charged, 43 have been arrested in this country and nine abroad. Another 20 remain at large.
Authorities have arrested people in 13 other countries - Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland, with some being arrested on local rather than the U.S. charges.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
