Tag:

Online Predators

Canadian National Charged In DC After Chatting With Undercover Agent Posing As Pedophile: Feds Canadian National Charged In DC After Chatting With Undercover Agent Posing As Pedophile: Feds
Canadian National Charged In DC After Chatting With Undercover Agent Posing As Pedophile: Feds A 31-year-old Canadian national was arrested in his Washington DC home this week and faces child pornography charges following an FBI investigation monitoring predators online, federal authorities announced. Matthew Norman Ballek, of Saskatchewan, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon following an indictment that charged him with the distribution of child pornography after he distributed video files of men engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minors. According to the indictment, on Jan. 23, a member of the Metropolitan Police Department's Child Exploitation Task Force was moni…
Predators Behind Bars For Preying On Minors During Fairfax County Sting Operation: Police Predators Behind Bars For Preying On Minors During Fairfax County Sting Operation: Police
Predators Behind Bars For Preying On Minors During Fairfax County Sting Operation: Police Nearly a dozen predators are off Virginia streets after police in Fairfax County executed a bittersweet operation targeting people attempting to solicit illicit encounters with minors. A total of ten men were arrested during the three-day ADC Express 2 sting conducted earlier this month using undercover officers posing as teen boys and girls seeking offenders online, authorities announced on Thursday. Despite the triumph, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said that he hoped that no one would bite and engage his undercover officers, though they all fell for it. "I'm sad to report the …
Man Nabbed In Sting Attempting To Meet 13-Year-Old At Shelton Walmart To Have Sex: Police Man Nabbed In Sting Attempting To Meet 13-Year-Old At Shelton Walmart To Have Sex: Police
Man Nabbed In Sting Attempting To Meet 13-Year-Old At Shelton Walmart To Have Sex: Police A Fairfield County man was charged with criminal attempt of sexual assault after allegedly attempting to meet up with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to have sex. On Sunday, Dec. 17, Shelton Police arrested 72-year-old Anthony Grillo of Shelton and charged him with enticing a Minor, and criminal attempt at sexual assault. Shelton Police Det. Christopher Nugent said the arrest stems from an incident that occurred at the Shelton Walmart on Sunday. Nugent said the department was notified by an organization that travels throughout the US and exposes individuals meeting up with juve…
Second 'Traveler' Targeted Teen For Sex In Frederick County Within One Week, Sheriff Says Second 'Traveler' Targeted Teen For Sex In Frederick County Within One Week, Sheriff Says
Second 'Traveler' Targeted Teen For Sex In Frederick County Within One Week, Sheriff Says Another sexual predator is behind bars in Frederick County after preying on a teenage girl online, authorities announced on Friday. Middle River resident Brian Williams, 37, is facing a host of charges after being caught by investigators after they were tipped off about a 15-year-old girl who was sexually involved with a grown man. During the investigation, members of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office uncovered multiple messages that showed Williams soliciting the teen for sexual acts, the two exchanging explicit images, and he had sex with the girl in Frederick County, according to off…
Undercover Agent Busts Man Who Drove From VA To Frederick County For Sex With A Minor: Sheriff Undercover Agent Busts Man Who Drove From VA To Frederick County For Sex With A Minor: Sheriff
Undercover Agent Busts Man Who Drove From VA To Frederick County For Sex With A Minor: Sheriff A Virginia man who crossed over state lines for sexual acts with what he thought was a teen girl in Frederick County is behind bars. Brian Brooks, 43, of Stephens City, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual solicitation of a minor after being busted by an undercover officer he believed to be a teenager, a Frederick County Sheriff's spokesperson announced on Monday. In October, a detective performing an online investigation began posing as a 14-year-old girl, and the two began talking thorough a messaging apps, and despite being warned that he was speaking to a minor, Brooks allege…
Search Is On For Missing 'Endangered' Rockville Teen Believed To Have Been Lured Online Search Is On For Missing 'Endangered' Rockville Teen Believed To Have Been Lured Online
Search Is On For Missing 'Endangered' Rockville Teen Believed To Have Been Lured Online Concerns are mounting for a Maryland teen who has been missing for nearly a week and may have been lured away from her Montgomery County home by a predator online. Rockville resident Sophia Isabella Roach, 15, has not been seen by friends and family since Tuesday, July 11, and without her cellphone, raising alarm bells for investigators. The teen was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in the 5600 block of Whitney Mill Way in Rockville. The teen was last seen in the 5600 block of Whitney Mill Way in Rockville. Google Maps satellite view According to the national Blac…
Montco Man Filmed Himself Sexually Assaulting Teen, Attorney General Says Montco Man Filmed Himself Sexually Assaulting Teen, Attorney General Says
Montco Man Filmed Himself Sexually Assaulting Teen, Attorney General Says A Montgomery County man is charged with multiple felonies after prosecutors claim he filmed himself sexually assaulting a 14-year-old victim.  Joshua Warner, 24, was arrested at his Elkins Park home on Thursday, June 15, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry's Office in a release.  Prosecutors said Warner met the teen on the messaging app Discord and later "arranged a meeting" where he assaulted her. Further investigation revealed evidence that the 24-year-old had recorded the crime and saved the footage to his cell phone, according to authorities.  “These charge…
Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Ramapo, DA Says Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Ramapo, DA Says
Sexual Predator Sting: Attorney Nabbed After Arranging To Meet Girl In Ramapo, DA Says An undercover investigation in the Hudson Valley has led to the arrest of a Long Island attorney who is accused of preying on a minor using online platforms. Long Island resident Daniel Waxman, age 55, was arrested on Wednesday, May 31 after authorities say he arrived in Rockland County to meet with whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. From Monday, May 22 up until Wednesday, an undercover investigator from the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office posing as a minor engaged in a series of text conversations with Waxman, Rockland DA Thomas E. Walsh said. The undercover inve…
Predator Preying On 'Teen' Online Busted By Undercover MD State Police Investigators Predator Preying On 'Teen' Online Busted By Undercover MD State Police Investigators
Predator Preying On 'Teen' Online Busted By Undercover MD State Police Investigators Investigators from the US Army gave Maryland State Police a hand to apprehend a 55-year-old predator who targeted teens online, according to authorities. Walkersville resident Michael Vance Culpepper, 55, was arrested on Monday, May 8, after he agreed to meet with undercover officers posing as a 13-year-old girl with nefarious intentions. The probe into Culpepper was launched in April when the state police’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was conducting an undercover online investigation on a social networking site. It is alleged that Culpepper began engaging in an inappropria…
Underage Teen Sexually Assaulted By Westchester Man, 27, Repeatedly In River Edge: Prosecutor Underage Teen Sexually Assaulted By Westchester Man, 27, Repeatedly In River Edge: Prosecutor
Underage Teen Sexually Assaulted By Westchester Man, 27, Repeatedly In River Edge: Prosecutor A tipster led authorities to a warehouse manager from Westchester who they said traveled to Bergen County for sex with an underage teen he met online. Eric Palese, 27, of Tarrytown sexually assaulted the under-16-year-old child multiple times in River Edge, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Thursday, April 6. Based on the charges, it was at least a half-dozen times during the second and third weeks of March. Authorities began investigating the 6-foot, 270-pound Palese after the tip came in on Monday, the prosecutor said. “The caller reported that the suspect contacted the chil…
Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social
Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social A Union City man admitted getting two underage victims and a pedophile dad in the Dominican Republic to send him homemade child porn that he then shared on social media, federal authorities said. Posing as a teenage boy, Ramon Zelaya, 36, used an Instagram account to persuade a minor to send him a "revealing" photo, then used that to "entice, threaten, and coerce" the victim into sending him sexually explicit videos and other images, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Zelaya also conspired with an unidentified individual in the Dominican Republic on Facebook to sexually abuse that pers…
Teen Girls Drugged, Sexually Assaulted By Prince William County Predator, Police Say Teen Girls Drugged, Sexually Assaulted By Prince William County Predator, Police Say
Teen Girls Drugged, Sexually Assaulted By Prince William County Predator, Police Say A months-long investigation into reports of sexual assaults involving minors in Prince William County led to the arrest of a 35-year-old Woodbridge man who is facing a host of charges. It is alleged that Balmore Alexander Ortiz Guardado drugged and sexually abused minors repeatedly after he met a teen online, according to a spokesperson with the Prince William County Police Department. The alleged abuse began in August last year when the agency’s Special Victims Bureau launched an investigation into a sexual assault that was reported in the 13200 block of Nassau Drive in Woodbridge. Accord…
Creeps Targeting Children Busted In Undercover Fairfax Sting: Police Creeps Targeting Children Busted In Undercover Fairfax Sting: Police
Creeps Targeting Children Busted In Undercover Fairfax Sting: Police Seven alleged online predators who targeted their victims through the Internet are facing dozens of charges in Virginia following an undercover operation, the Fairfax County Police Department announced on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Detectives from the department’s Major Crimes Bureau arrested seven men as part of a "Traveler Operation” sting to identify and apprehend online predators that was conducted over several days last month. The men ranged in age from 26 to 52 years old and were charged with a total of 49 felonies. Those arrested: Danial Siridavong, 33, of Woodbridge was arrested on Wed…
Ex-Virginia State Police Trooper Dead After Abducting California Teen, Killing Her Family Ex-Virginia State Police Trooper Dead After Abducting California Teen, Killing Her Family
Ex-Virginia State Police Trooper Dead After Abducting California Teen, Killing Her Family A former Virginia State Police trooper was killed in a shootout with police who say he traveled across the country to Riverside, California, where he abducted a teenage girl he met online, before killing her mom, grandmother, and grandfather. Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, parked in a neighbor’s driveway and allegedly set the family’s home on fire before kidnapping the teen he “catfished” on Friday, Nov. 25, according to the Riverside Police Department. Edwards had previously worked as a trooper with Virginia State Police in Henrico County from early January until his resign…
Danbury Man Sentenced For Engaging In, Filming Illicit Sexual Acts With Child Danbury Man Sentenced For Engaging In, Filming Illicit Sexual Acts With Child
Danbury Man Sentenced For Engaging In, Filming Illicit Sexual Acts With Child A Connecticut man will spend decades in prison after admitting that he drove hundreds of miles to pick up a 14-year-old girl for sex and then recorded the abuse. Fairfield County resident Wayne Marcell, age 36, of Danbury, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison Tuesday, July 12, in US District Court in Bridgeport. Earlier report: Danbury Man Admits To Child Exploitation Offense It came three months after he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. Federal prosecutors said Marcell drove from Connecticut to Illinois in June 2021 after paying another person $2,000 to bring the …
Maryland State Police Issues Warning Of Online Scam Involving The Sexual Extortion Of Minors Maryland State Police Issues Warning Of Online Scam Involving The Sexual Extortion Of Minors
Maryland State Police Issues Warning Of Online Scam Involving The Sexual Extortion Of Minors The rise of sexual predators targeting minors on social media has led Maryland State Police officials to issue a warning to parents. Authorities said that state police investigators have received multiple reports of minors being contacted by other social media users who began conversing with them over messaging services on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. “Investigators believe online predators may often give the impression they are romantically interested in the minor being targeted, to gain their trust,” they stated. “As the chats progress, the suspect user will request sexually illic…
FBI: ‘Sextortion’ Of Teen Boys Is Increasing, Here's What Parents, Guardians Should Know FBI: ‘Sextortion’ Of Teen Boys Is Increasing, Here's What Parents, Guardians Should Know
FBI: ‘Sextortion’ Of Teen Boys Is Increasing, Here's What Parents, Guardians Should Know Reports of adults ‘sextorting’ teenage boys into sending them sexual videos or photos online are booming, particularly involving victims 14 to 17 years old, the FBI warns. In 2021 alone, its Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints of various types, the bureau announced on Wednesday, April 13. A growing number involved late-teen boys targeted by predators posing as someone else, federal authorities said. It ordinarily begins with a contact through social media or on a gaming site. The adult predator or scammer "convinces the child to s…
Former Musical Director On Long Island Sentenced For Receiving Child Porn Former Musical Director On Long Island Sentenced For Receiving Child Porn
Former Musical Director On Long Island Sentenced For Receiving Child Porn A former choir director on Long Island will spend years behind bars after admitting to possessing and exchanging child pornography over the Internet. Michael Wustrow, age 59, of Freeport, a former musical director at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison after pleading guilty in June 2019 to receiving child pornography. The charge had carried a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. In addition to the prison term, Wustrow will also register as a sexual offender upon his release. Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New Yor…
Jersey City Temp Charged With Trying To Extort Children On Gaming App To Send Him Nude Pics Jersey City Temp Charged With Trying To Extort Children On Gaming App To Send Him Nude Pics
Jersey City Temp Charged With Trying To Extort Children On Gaming App To Send Him Nude Pics A Jersey City man tried to extort children he met on a gaming app to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves, a state grand jury indictment charges. Ndachi I. Ndungu, 25, was among 31 men charged in a three-month roundup of accused predators, pedophiles and perverts after investigators learned that he'd tried to extort a 12-year-old girl into sending him nude photos of herself, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Further investigation by New Jersey State Police and state Division of Criminal Justice detectives found that Ndungu also chatted on Discord …
DA: Perkasie Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting 15-Year-Old Girl He Met Online DA: Perkasie Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting 15-Year-Old Girl He Met Online
DA: Perkasie Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting 15-Year-Old Girl He Met Online A Perkasie man was arrested on multiple felony charges for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl whom he met on an online chat platform marketed as a website to "talk to strangers," authorities said. An investigation into Jonathan Faucette, 55, ensued after New Hanover Township police on May 18 received a ChildLine report stating that the girl had described a sexual encounter with an older, married man, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and New Hanover Township Police Chief Kevin McKeon. Investigators discovered that Faucette and the girl …
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup
Predators, Pedophiles And Perverts: Horror Stories Abound In NJ Online Child-Sex Abuse Roundup A mail carrier, a train conductor and a retired corrections officer are among 31 men charged amid a massive roundup that produced some horrifying stories about online child sex abuse in the age of COVID, New Jersey authorities announced Wednesday. One of them offered money and other prizes through a social media “game” that he created to convince underage girls to send him nude photos, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Another got victims between 7 and 15 years old to send him sexual photos, then pressured them to send more by threatening to share those he had online, he said. …
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges A Jersey Shore man who convinced a 14-year-old girl he met online to carve his initials above her breast with a razor blade threatened to hurt her and her family if she didn’t meet his demands, an indictment returned Wednesday by a state grand jury alleges. Jason Berry, 40, of Keansburg also “demanded that the girl photograph herself engaging in acts of sexual penetration,” then sent some of the images to her mother, the indictment returned in Trenton charges. He also sent the girl “sexually explicit photos and videos of himself,” it adds. The case “demonstrates how powerful online predato…
Florida 'Online Predator' Sent Nude Photos To 12-Year-Old Union County Girl, Authorities Say Florida 'Online Predator' Sent Nude Photos To 12-Year-Old Union County Girl, Authorities Say
Florida 'Online Predator' Sent Nude Photos To 12-Year-Old Union County Girl, Authorities Say A 24-year-old Florida man was caught sending "explicit" materials to a 12-year-old girl from Summit who he met online, local police said. Bradley Fisher, of Hudson, FL, met the girl through the Discord social media app, City officials said in a release. Fisher asked the girl for pornographic images and sent ones of himself to her, authorities said. Summit police received evidence launching a year-long investigation by the Pasco County Sheriff's Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit -- ultimately leading to Fisher's arrest. Fisher was charged with transmission of material harmfu…
9 More Men Busted In Massive South Jersey Child Porn Sting, Prosecutor Says 9 More Men Busted In Massive South Jersey Child Porn Sting, Prosecutor Says
9 More Men Busted In Massive South Jersey Child Porn Sting, Prosecutor Says A multi-agency child porn sting in South Jersey led to the arrest of nine more child pornography suspects, authorities said. Operation Safe Quarantine took place during the COVD-19 pandemic when many children stayed indoors on cellphones and computers, Coffina said. The year-long sting included federal, state and local detectives.  Investigators.  They tracked down and arrested a total of 46 online predators including those possessing or sharing child pornography, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Newly charged with endangering the welfare of a c…
DA: DelCo Man Tells Undercover Agent He Ejaculated On Children, Admits To Having Child Porn DA: DelCo Man Tells Undercover Agent He Ejaculated On Children, Admits To Having Child Porn
DA: DelCo Man Tells Undercover Agent He Ejaculated On Children, Admits To Having Child Porn A Delaware County man admitted to not only having child pornography videos on his phone but masturbating near and ejaculated on children in his home while they slept, authorities announced. An undercover investigation involving the FBI began unfolding when Jason E. Hasson, 29, of Crum Lynne, began chatting with an agent posing as a father of a 9-year-old daughter online, according to District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. Hasson told the "father" he wanted to meet his child for sex, and admitted touching a child to him, the DA's office said. Investigators served a search warrant Tuesday at H…
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Lured Out-Of-State Teen Admits Collecting Raw Sexual Videos From Her Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Lured Out-Of-State Teen Admits Collecting Raw Sexual Videos From Her
Jersey Shore Man, 68, Who Lured Out-Of-State Teen Admits Collecting Raw Sexual Videos From Her A 68-year-old Monmouth County man who local authorities said had sex with an out-of-state girl he lured to his home after posing as a young boy struck a deal with federal prosecutors, pleading guilty to child porn possession. Local authorities had removed the child from the Union Beach home of Herman Christopher Jensen when the FBI began investigating his online activities. They soon learned that Jensen had assumed the identity of a 17-year-old boy named Kevin Bennett on Facebook “in order to entice and solicit [the girl] to send nude and sexually explicit images over the internet,” Acting …
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online Predators in New York have been utilizing social media to bilk teen victims into sending sexually explicit photos that are then used to blackmail parents, police are cautioning. An alert was issued by New York State Police following multiple cases of teens being targeted by criminals while online, including one incident that led to a teenager committing suicide. Police said that the suspects have been locating teen victims on social media, where they befriend them and gain their trust. Once trust is established, investigators said that the suspects ask for photos or video of the teen, “usua…
Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat
Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat A Suffolk County man has been indicted for the alleged rape of a minor. Renato Oliva Garcia, age 22, of Mastic Beach, was indicted on Thursday, April 1, for meeting a teen on Snapchat and then taking her to his home where she was allegedly raped, authorities said. “This is a very concerning trend law enforcement is seeing where alleged predators are able to communicate with minors through social media and gain their trust before convincing them to meet in person,” Suffolk County District Attorney Sini said.  Garcia was arrested on Wednesday, March 17, for the incident which took place…
Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14 Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14
Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14 A 22-year-old California man was arrested after he took a trip to New Jersey where he twice had sex with a 14-year-old girl he had been talking to online, authorities said. Justin R. Ganutan, of Stockton, CA, was having an online relationship with the girl when he traveled from the West Coast to Somerset County, to meet the girl, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said Monday. The victim, a Somerset County resident, told detectives she had sexual intercourse with Ganutan twice in Franklin Township during a trip he took last December specifically to meet her, Robertson said…
Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts
Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts The attempted rape conviction of a Hudson Valley man has been upheld by the courts during an appeal of his 2019 guilty verdict during a jury trial. The Ulster County Appellate Division affirmed the conviction last year of Orange County resident Travis Sammeth, age 36, of Newburgh, who was found guilty of attempted rape in a case connected with a sting operation of online predators, said the Ulster County District Attorney David J. Clegg. His conviction stems from an incident on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, when Sammeth made contact with an undercover police officer working with an FBI task…
Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos
Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos A 30-year-old pastor from Burlington County is accused of coaxing underage boys to send him nude photos and videos, authorities said. The Baptist youth pastor and music leader of a Hainesport church then used the material to blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his enjoyment, according to Burlington Count Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Sean Higgins, 30, of Temple Boulevard in Palmyra has been charged with a total of 28 crimes he committed while posing as a teenage girl, Coffina said.  Higgins is youth pastor at Harbor Baptist Church, and also serves as a teac…