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There are predators in San Diego who troll the
Internet looking for children. They search chat rooms
for children to befriend and victimize. They send the
children e-mails, instant messages, and obscene
photographs. When they have gained the victim's
trust, they try to arrange a secret meeting. Then,
the offender tries to meet the child for sex. Here
are some recent examples of Internet crimes against
children that have occurred in San Diego and across
the nation.
Defendant Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child
Molest:
In January 2000, a male defendant was sentenced to
141 years-to-life in prison. An investigation by
the San Diego Police Department and the local FBI
uncovered a videotape and photographs of the
defendant molesting a young child. He posted the
video and photos of the molests on the Internet.
Following a jury trial by prosecutor Jeffrey Dort,
the defendant was convicted of 39 counts.
Defendant Attempts to Lure Young Girl on the
Internet:
A male defendant met someone he thought was a
13-year-old girl online.The defendant propositioned
her using explicit language and sent her obscene
photographs. He set up a meeting to have sex with his
young victim. Little did he know the teen was really
a San Diego Police Officer. He was arrested and in
May 2001, was convicted of multiple local and federal
charges.
One Defendant Was Not So Wise:
The defendant often spent part of his workday at a
local water company surfing the Internet for
pornography sites that featured young girls. While
visiting chat rooms, he sent obscene photographs,
instant messages, and e-mails to someone he thought
was a 12-year-old girl. He was convicted in September
2001, and fired from his job.
Woman Meets 14 Year-Old Boys Online for Sex:
A 39 year-old woman used the Internet to lure teenage
boys. She met boys between 14 and 17-years-old in
chat rooms and enticed them into coming to her home.
She gave the boys alcohol and had sex with them. In
June 2000, she pled guilty to two counts of Unlawful
Sexual Intercourse with a Minor. She is now a
registered sex offender.
Kindergarten Teacher Solicits Sex Online:
The defendant was convicted in January 2001, of
charges stemming from soliciting sex from someone he
thought was 13 years old. He met the girl in a chat
room and went to meet her in person for sexual
activities. The "girl" was really a 20-year-old
television reporter. The defendant was forced to
resign from the Vista School District and barred from
teaching in California.
Military Communications Director Snagged in
Internet Sex Scam:
In July 2000, a defendant used the Internet to
arrange a sex date with someone he thought was a
12-year-old girl. He traveled more than 1,400 miles
from Idaho to have sex with his victim. He was
convicted of a sex crime.
Career Navy Legal Assistant Sentenced to
Prison:
In January 2002, a man was sentenced to state prison
for the attempted molestation of two children. The
case began with the defendant chatting online and
bragging about molesting a 4-year-old girl. Later,
the defendant met a man online who claimed to have
two children, ages 8 and 14. Defendant went to a
hotel with sexual paraphernalia in order to meet the
children but was met by San Diego police instead. The
children turned out to be fictitious but the
defendant's intent was not. A search of his computers
recovered over 150,000 pornographic images. Many of
the photos were of young children, between the ages
of six months and ten years, being molested by adult
men.
Child Pornographer Added to FBI's Ten Most
Wanted List:
A musician was indicted for producing and
distributing child pornography, including a videotape
that shows him having sex with an 11-year-old girl.
The defendant was the first child porn suspect to be
added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives List. He was
captured in August 2001, in Bangkok, Thailand, where
he was teaching music to children.
International Child Porn Ring Shut Down:
More than 100 suspects have been arrested so far in
an International child pornography investigation
called "Operation Avalanche." One of the key figures
in the on-going investigation was the owner of
Landslide Productions. He was found guilty of 89
counts of sexual exploitation of minors, distribution
of child pornography and conspiracy. His Texas
company provided access to child porn sites. The
company made as much as 1.4 million dollars a month.
In December 2000, he was sentenced to 1,335 years
in prison by a Texas judge.
Orange County:
In December 2001, a college sophomore was
charged with the rape and torture of a 15-year-old
girl he met over the Internet in a chat room. Police
said that the defendant also carved swastikas in the
girl's face.
In November 2001, a Superior Court judge in
Orange County was arrested for attempted molestation
of a child over the Internet. Police say they
recovered computer diskettes from the judge's home
showing young boys having sex.
San Bernardino County:
In October 2001, a pediatrician, pled guilty to 11
felony counts of attempted child molestation and
sending pornographic pictures to a minor via the
Internet. The doctor preyed online for a young girl
to train as a sex slave and said he knew how to
torture a child without leaving marks. The doctor
received a year in jail and his medical license was
revoked.
Los Angeles County:
A Pasadena math teacher is on trial for
keeping hundreds of images of child pornography,
trying to seduce underage girls over the Internet and
having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
The defendant headed a high school math department
before his arrest.
Elsewhere:
In November 2001, an 18-year-old El Cajon man
was arrested in Las Vegas for attempting to kidnap a
14-year-old girl he met on the Internet. According to
investigators, the man intended to take the girl back
to California.
In January 2002, a 13-year-old girl was found tied
up in the home of a Virginia man. The girl met
her abductor on the Internet. Investigators report
the man kidnapped the girl so he could have sex with
her.
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