After an investigation that spanned several months, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New Jersey State Police arrested 14 for allegedly distributing child pornography. Among the suspects were men ranging from 18-years-old to 70-years-old. They shared very little – other than an affinity for child abuse imagery. For instance, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, one of the suspects was a professor while another was a former government contractor.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation School’s Out,” ran between July 20, and August 31, 2017. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit and Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force forefronted the operation. According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, the investigation occurred during summer vacation as children would be in their most vulnerable state.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tim Gallagher explained that law enforcement teams up to work cases like Operation School’s Out. And while working together, they “chase these predators to the farthest reaches of the darknet and the globe.” All 14 suspects were caught sharing media on different channels; some were on social networking apps, some used shared Dropbox accounts, and the majority used various “P2P file sharing software.”
John G. Fenton, 52, uploaded images to a group chatting service called Chatstep. Chatstep, as we covered in August, works directly with international law enforcement agencies in an effort to stop the spread of child abuse content. One count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography were given.
Emir Gomez, 18, uploaded images and videos to his Dropbox and provided others with access. He was charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
Frederick Simzer, 30, kept illegal content in an account with an unidentified cloud storage service, reportedly associated with his cell phone provider. He was charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
Henry Gavilanez, 27; Paul King, 62; Douglas Masto, 70; Terrance McCuen, 53; Rodrigo Roldan, 65; Eric C. Scherzer, 38; James Simmons, 69; Jude I. Taylor, 38; Martin Velazquez-Rodriguez, 52; and Dale E. Williams, Jr., 46, had used P2P software to distribute and download child pornography. They received charges of Possession of Child Pornography and/or Distribution of Child Pornography. McCuen and Scherzer also were charged for the possession of marijuana.
Alan Raczek, 27, was caught in an investigation that revealed that he had numerous “items of child pornography.” He caught only one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
“I want everyone to realize in the public and the media that we are out there actively patrolling and pursuing people that do this,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni told the public. “We are out performing undercover investigations, and we will continue to do that, 24/7.”
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