Cops Say N.J. Child Porn Customers Included Doctor, Teacher, Minister

ABC NEWS ^ | January 15, 2004 | Jen Maxfield

[Palladin]

Child Porn Customers Included Doctor, Teacher, Minister

By Jen Maxfield (Newark-WABC, January 15, 2004) — Two dozen people in New Jersey face charges in a child pornography bust, and some of them worked closely with children. Among the defendants arraigned in Newark today were a doctor, a campus minister, a teacher, and a youth church counselor.

More arrests are expected in this ongoing investigation.

New Jersey correspondent Jen Maxfield reports from Newark.

The arraignments on federal child pornography charges have been going on here all afternoon. Government officials tell us that they arrested who they considered to be the most dangerous suspects first -- those who worked with children.

The list of suspected child porn traders is terrifying for parents.

Christopher Christie, U.S. Attorney: "People like a family physician, three previously convicted sex offenders, a campus minister, a part-time teacher, a church youth coordinator ..."

Twenty-four New Jersey residents are charged with downloading child pornography from the Internet. Many were busted when Visa and MasterCard agreed to turn over their customer's transaction records to the U.S. Attorney.

Christopher Christie: "If you are a member of one of these sites, if you buy this material and you download it, you are committing a federal crime. We will catch you, and we will put you in jail."

New Jersey's U.S. Attorney asked the credit card companies to flag all purchases from Regpay, and Connections U.S.A., two credit card processing companies. The money trails stretch from Belarus to Florida. And in an unprecedented move, the government has charged company executives with money laundering, for helping fund the child porn industry by collecting monthly fees.

Patricia Haynes, I.R.S. Special Agent: "Money launderers should be aware that they can no longer hide behind the click-of-the-mouse anonymity of cyberspace."

Of the 24 men arrested for downloading child porn, six worked closely with children. Including the campus minister at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung.

However a defense attorney for two of the accused men say some of the images may have been downloaded inadvertently, while viewing adult pornographic sites.

Allen Zegas, Defense Attorney: "To go after en masse tens of people, all of whom have lead law-abiding lives throughout their history, and to seek them out and to put them in jail, I think is overkill."

Most of the suspects who have been arraigned so far today have been released on bail on the condition that they not use their computers, and they have no contact with children. The U.S. Attorney says we can expect more arrests.

The Web site involved in this investigation alone sold 270,000 child pornographic images in two years.

[Palladin]

Great news! These creeps are being rounded up and many will spend at least 10 years in federal prison.

They have been traced by their credit cards.

A lot of internet perverts are shaking in their boots tonight.

Many more arrests are expected in the next few days.

[cyborg]

such lovely people...I'll take comfort in knowing they'll be received well in prison as most abusers of children are.

[MHGinTN]

New Jersey, First In Cannibalism, now this!

[Palladin]

However a defense attorney for two of the accused men say some of the images may have been downloaded inadvertently, while viewing adult pornographic sites.

Don't you just love defense attorneys?

Nobody, but nobody, downloads this stuff "inadvertently".

David Westerfiled, the murderer of Danielle Van Dam, tried this defense excuse. It did not work.

[ancient_geezer]

New Jersey's U.S. Attorney asked the credit card companies to flag all purchases from Regpay, and Connections U.S.A., two credit card processing companies.

"Money launderers should be aware that they can no longer hide behind the click-of-the-mouse anonymity of cyberspace."

Indeed!

[Palladin]

I believe there is a special place in hell for defense attorneys.

The next excuse will be: "Somebody else was using my computer and downloaded the kiddie porn".

This time, the investigators have credit card records.

These bastards will not be able to wiggle out of this dragnet.

[Palladin]

The Web site involved in this investigation alone sold 270,000 child pornographic images in two years.

Horrific!

Thousands of children brutalized and exploited for the pleasure of dirty old men (and some young ones).

[Johnny_Cipher]

This time, the investigators have credit card records. These bastards will not be able to wiggle out of this dragnet.

Won't make any difference. The CC numbers could have been phished (stolen) and used to set up these "pillars of the community." Plenty of room for "reasonable doubt" on the part of the defense.

[Palladin]

True in some cases.

But not for those producing the porn.

We'll see how this plays out.

[PAR35]

Including the campus minister at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung.

"a private Catholic secondary school" as they say on their website.

[Johnny_Cipher]

True in some cases. But not for those producing the porn.

True indeed. Throw them under the jail.

[Palladin]

Somebody slipped up on the employee screening process there.

Fox in the henhouse...again.

[Palladin]

More...looks like this is a worldwide bust:


CBS
Video
Kiddie porn ring busted in New Jersey, Michael Pomeranz reports.
Global Kiddie Porn Ring Busted

About Two Dozen People Were Arrested In New Jersey

Jan 15, 2004 4:22 pm US/Mountain
NEWARK (CBS) Federal officials on Thursday announced they had cracked a Belarus-based international child pornography ring with arrests in France, Spain and the United States.

The cases stem from an Internet processor of Web site subscriptions in Minsk, Belarus, which collected fees for memberships to child pornography Web sites that brought in millions of dollars, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

An executive with a Florida company has pleaded guilty in the case.

"When we followed the money, we ended up getting both the operators of this outfit ... and meanwhile back here at home we were doing search warrants on people's computers who had subscribed via credit card to these child pornographic Web sites," said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

About two dozen people in New Jersey and 20 others around the United States have been charged with downloading child pornography, including a doctor, a minister and a teacher, the office said.

They were snared by tracking the fees from the companies to the consumers of child pornography, with the assistance of credit card companies, said Michael J. Garcia, assistant secretary of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

At a New Jersey federal courthouse today, prosecutors revealed that many of the 270,000 credit card transactions on the sites were from Americans.

"This is the first time that this type of comprehensive investigation has been done in this country — to go after the child pornography industry from the top to the bottom," Prosecutor Christopher Christie told CBS.

Federal authorities in New Jersey can prosecute people for actions taken overseas because images were downloaded in the state by consumers, he said.

The Belarus company, Regpay Co. Ltd., and Connections USA, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were indicted in a money-laundering scheme involving paid memberships to about 50 pornography Web sites.

Four of Regpay's leaders were indicted, and three were arrested over the summer in France and Spain.

The U.S. government is seeking the extradition of Regpay's president, Yahor Zalatarou, 25, and marketing director, Alexei Buchnev, 26, who are in Paris, and its technical administrator, Aliaksandr Boika, 29, who is in Madrid. All had lived in Minsk.

All three are accused of conspiracy to send child pornography by computer, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other charges. The most serious counts carry 15 to 30 years in prison.

U.S. authorities said they were working with Belarus to arrest Regpay's administrative and financial assistant, Tatsiana Sienko, 25, who is charged with conspiring to distribute child pornography and conspiracy to launder its proceeds. The charges can bring five to 20 years in prison.

Connections chief executive officer Eugene Valentine, 38, from Florida, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a conspiracy to launder money for Regpay and its principals.

On Tuesday, Connections employee Keith Czarnecki, 46, also from Florida, pleaded guilty for failing to report the offense to law enforcement.

Regpay was formerly known as Trustbill, while Connections did business as Iserve. Regpay allegedly operated at least four child pornography sites from Minsk, and it carried advertising for other pornographic Web sites. One Regpay site referred to itself as "underground pedo world," the indictment said.

"Today's indictment strikes at the heart of the commercial trade of child pornography by attacking the commercial profits derived from such a deplorable venture," Attorney General John Ashcroft said.

He said the ring was dismantled through efforts of law enforcement in Belarus, France and Spain, as well as agents from the Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI.

"Regpay Co. Inc. allegedly processed nearly $3 million in subscription fees by persons seeking pornography — much of it being child pornography," Ashcroft said.

The investigation is part of Operation Falcon, aimed at severing commercial support of child pornography. As of Tuesday, $800,000 in sales proceeds has been seized and 160 cases initiated, the Justice Department said.

[Old Professer]

I think it is time to make stupidity a federal crime.

[Palladin]

I agree.

More from Washington Post, tomorrow's a.m. edition:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21074-2004Jan15.html

[Eva]

We used to have a porn store, known as the Bookstore is downtown (a one street downtown), that was right across the street from the Pizza parlor. My son said that he recognized several teachers and coaches from a neighboring town going inside. I'm sure if you look hard enough, you'll find all sorts of people engaging in this type of activity on the sly.

[sinkspur]

This is disgusting stuff. And all the more evidence that those who work with children have got to be screened, and re-screened, and screened every year.

Viewing child porn is the worst kind of perversion.

[LisaMalia]

The ACLU will be all over this one like flies on crap. Come to think of it, that's not a bad analogy either.

[ValerieUSA]

And in an unprecedented move, the government has charged company executives with money laundering, for helping fund the child porn industry by collecting monthly fees.

Nice touch. I hate credit card companies more than defense lawyers.