Saturday, August 15, 2009

Matthew Wood Indicted for Distribution of Child Porn

A Carneys Point man has been indicted by a Salem County grand jury here for alleged possession and distribution of child pornography after being nabbed by state police under Operation Fairplay.

Matthew E. Wood, 21, of Hawks Bridge Road in the township, was arrested on June 9 at his home for allegedly using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program that allowed users to download illicit images and movies from him, prosecutors said.

He was found to have "at least one" prohibited file on the hard drive of his personal laptop computer, said Salem County First Assistant Prosecutor William Brennan.

Wood now faces one count of second degree child pornography distribution and a lesser charge for fourth-degree child pornography possession, according to an indictment handed down Wednesday by a Salem County grand jury.

If convicted he could face a maximum of 10 years in state prison.

Court officials said Wood was released on his own recognizance following his arrest and never lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility.

Operation Fairplay, a software tool that allows investigators to track at least a small portion of child pornography transactions occurring on the Internet, was credited with deciphering Wood's involvement, Brennan said.

Employed by investigators around the United States, Operation Fairplay allows police to download illegal material and then track the sender's Internet Protocol address.

Authorities spent a considerable amount of time identifying the subject and putting him under surveillance before obtaining a search warrant, according to Brennan.

Using the IP address, police are able to gather information from the Internet service provider, including the subscriber's name and location.

"State police are doing an operation where they learned that there is a program out there that is making child pornography available," Brennan said. "We are talking about second-degree distribution."

More than half a million unique users trafficking child pornography have been identified through the software, according to officials.

Timothy Strobl Indicted for Producing Child Porn

An investigation into child pornography that began in Germany ended with a North Whitehall Township man admitting Friday that he filmed two children engaging in sexually explicit conduct and shared the images on the Internet.

Timothy W. Strobl, 29, of 2596 Prince Drive in the Highland Heights development, faces up to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of production of child pornography. He also admitted to having 20,000 images of child porn.

Strobl was indicted in June after an investigation that began when the German Federal Police alerted U.S. officials in 2007 that someone from the United States was offering pornographic images of children online. All of the children were under 6 years old.

The German police searched one particular peer-to-peer file-sharing network and found several Internet Protocol addresses associated with Internet providers in the United States.

Agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement met with their German counterparts and investigated, eventually tracing the files to a computer in the Lehigh Valley.

Immigration agents issued a subpoena in 2008 to PenTeleData, the Internet provider for the Internet Protocol address that was tracked to the home where Strobl lives with his parents.

Federal agents raided Strobl's home in February and found three computers, three hard drives, two cameras and voluminous images of child porn.

In an interview with agents, Strobl said he had filmed and photographed several children, some only 3 years old, and uploaded the films and photos to a file-sharing network accessed by others interested in child porn, according to court files.

Prosecutors said Strobl filmed and took pictures of the children at an unidentified home in Nazareth. Some were in a bathtub, while others were on a bed or floor. Strobl shared more than 600 images online in 2006 and 2007, prosecutors said.

Strobl also admitted he had been collecting porn for more than 12 years.

He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and also agreed to five years' supervised release and payment of $500,000 in fines.

Strobl is scheduled to be sentenced in November in Philadelphia.

No one was at the Strobl home Friday afternoon. The stone-sided rancher sits at the end of the quiet development in North Whitehall.

His neighbors didn't want to talk about Strobl, some because they didn't know him and one because he didn't feel it would be right to talk about the case without knowing all the facts.

Court records show Strobl had only been charged with traffic violations before he was hit with the federal charges.

Jonathan Milam Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Child Porn

A federal court judge sentenced a former WVU student to six-and-ahalf years behind bars for downloading sexually explicit images of young boys.

Jonathan Milam, 24, of Clarksburg, pleaded guilty in April to possession of child pornography and was sentenced Thursday before U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley in Clarksburg, according to U.S. Attorney Sharon Potter's office. Once done with his prison sentence, Milam will be on 10 years of supervised release.

At the plea hearing, Milam said his arrest was a "blessing in disguise" and made him "truly see" that enjoying child pornography could give someone else the idea that it was OK to do so, too, according to court documents.

Milam downloaded more than 600 images of child pornography -- mostly images of boys ages five to 10 -- on a laptop and a desktop computer he kept at his apartment in Morgantown while attending WVU in 2006, court documents revealed. Some of the images showed adults engaged in sexual abuse of children.


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Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 1-3, 2009. Los Angeles, CA.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 1-3, 2009. Los Angeles, CA.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 1-3, 2009. Los Angeles, CA.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 1-3, 2009. Los Angeles, CA.
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 1-3, 2009. Los Angeles, CA.

The investigation originated in Greensburg, Pa., where an undercover officer began going through file-sharing applications set up to share image files on the Internet.

The officer tracked down an Internet protocol address that was being used to share files of child pornography and traced it to Morgantown -- and Milam.

A search of Milam's computers turned up hundreds of images of child pornography.

At his plea hearing in April, Milam said that he started "down that path a long time ago" and then branched out into the "child pornography section," which he found he enjoyed more, according to court documents. He said he now understands that children could have been hurt and said he knew the children were underage.

Milam was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal's office.

Donald Ray Eubanks Charged with Sexual Assault

A Galveston jury returned Friday guilty verdicts against a League City man on charges that he sexually assaulted two young girls, a state prosecutor and defense attorney said.

Donald Ray Eubanks, 55, remains free on bond, pending the outcome of his sentencing hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday in Judge Wayne J. Mallia’s 405th District Court in Galveston, prosecutor Paul Darrow said.

The jury found Eubanks guilty of two counts each of aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child, possession of child pornography and sexual performance of a child, Darrow said.

The charges stem from acts that occurred in Eubank’s home in August and September 2006, according to court documents.

In closing arguments, Darrow told the jury League City police found 105 pictures on the computer.

Defense attorney Ned Barnett told the jury that Eubanks’ wife of 36 years didn’t think anything was going on inside the house and asked the jury to consider whether there was any reasonable doubt to the charges.

Darrow told jurors they should be angry that the acts occurred in their community.

“This is a chance to send a message that this is not acceptable in Galveston County,” Darrow said. “It’s also a chance to send a message to someone else ... that’s a child molester that hasn’t been caught yet.”

Because Eubanks committed the offenses in 2006 under different state penalty statutes, he is eligible for probation on all guilty verdicts, Darrow said.

Moises Acurio-Suarez Arrested for Raping 7-year-old


A Georgetown man is behind bars on multiple charges after being accused of raping a 7-year-old boy at least four different times.

Georgetown police were contacted Wednesday by staffers at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital who stated that there was a 7-year-old boy being examined for a possible sexual assault. Police say the exam revealed injuries to the victim that were consistent with sexual assault.

According to police, a further investigation revealed that 21-year-old Moises A. Acurio-Suarez was a neighbor of the boy. Police say that at times the boy's mother would drop him off at Acurio-Suarez's home to be baby-sat while the mother would go to work.

Police say that on Wednesday, the boy told his mother that he did not want to be dropped off at Acurio-Suarez's home anymore because Acurio-Suarez was having sex with him.

According to police, the Children's Advocacy Center also interviewed the child who disclosed that on at least four different occasions Acurio-Suarez made him have sexual intercourse.

Acurio-Suarez was taken into custody and according to investigators, admitted that the boy's allegations were true. Police say the only reason Acurio-Suarez gave for the sexual assault was that his family rejected him at a young age.

Acurio-Suarez was charged with four counts of first-degree rape, one count of second-degree, felony endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful imprisonment. He was jailed in in lieu of $237,000 cash bond.

Gunnery School Student Sues Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

Legal news information for Connecticut personal injury attorney’s. Gunnery School student claims the dean of students sexually abused him.

Torrington, CT—The family of a student who claims he was sexually abused at The Gunnery School in Washington, Connecticut filed a lawsuit on Monday, August 10, 2009. The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court in New London, as reported by the Courant.

The alleged sexually assaulted victim, John Doe, claims he was assaulted on numerous occasions during his freshman year at The Gunnery School, from September 2007 to June 2008. Doe says he suffered from emotional distress and has a fear of attending school. The personal injury lawsuit names the former dean of students, Robert Reinhardt, 44; the head of school, Susan Graham; and a teacher, Dana Jackson. Reinhardt apparently was also the crew coach, a teacher, and a “dorm parent”, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit further alleges Reinhardt had an on-campus apartment, where he frequently had minors over at his residence late at night, overnight, and early in the morning. In addition, the lawsuit says the boarding school was aware, or should have been aware of the inappropriate activities surrounding Reinhardt and the alleged victim. The school is also accused of neglecting to quickly respond to the sexual abuse allegations.

The Gunnery School released a statement saying, “We reported this information to the Connecticut state child welfare authorities immediately. The faculty member in question had left the school’s employment.” On August 5, 2009, Reinhardt surrendered to state police and was charged with second-degree sexual assault. He was also charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor, and his bail was set at $750,000. Reinhardt’s next court date is scheduled for September 1st at the Superior Court in Litchfield.

According to Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org
“The Gunnery School is a coeducational boarding and day Prep school for 295 students in grades nine through twelve. The Gunnery was founded in 1850 by Frederick W. Gunn, a teacher, abolitionist, and father of recreational camping in America. The basic mission of The Gunnery is to promote the four cornerstones on which character is built: scholarship, integrity, respect and responsibility.”

James Kent Sentenced to 1-3 Years for Child Porn

A former professor at Marist College has been sentenced to 1-3 years in state prison for keeping child pornography on his computers at the school.

James Kent was convicted in April at a trial in Dutchess County.

The judge sentenced him on Friday.

Some of the photos found on the 62-year-old's computer depicted infants being sexually abused.

Stacey Anvarinia Drunk While Breast-Feeding her Baby


A woman who police said was drunk while breast-feeding her baby and holding the infant upside down has been ordered to jail after a run-in with police led to two new criminal charges.

Stacey Anvarinia had been given the chance to get treatment and avoid jail after pleading guilty last Friday to child neglect. Police arrested her hours later at her apartment in Grand Forks.

The owner of a pickup told police Anvarinia slashed one of the truck's tires. A police report said she was found hiding in a closet and appeared drunk.

The 26-year-old Anvarinia entered not guilty pleas Wednesday to charges of criminal mischief and preventing arrest. Both are misdemeanors punishable with up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Judge Sonja Clapp ordered Anvarinia to jail to start serving a six-month sentence on the child neglect charge.

Former Teacher Richard Doucet Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Porn

A former Montreal elementary school teacher has been sentenced to 14 years in Virginia prison for child pornography. Richard Doucet, who taught at Selwyn House, pleaded guilty to 25 counts of possessing the illegal images.

This term is in addition to the 14-year sentence Doucet received earlier this month after pleading guilty to another series of charges, including two each of attempted indecent liberties and using a computer to solicit sex with a minor.

Virginia prosecutor LaBravia Jenkins said the two sentences must be served consecutively, for a total of 28 years and seven months.