42 individuals guilty in international child porn bust
May 22, 2012
As a result of an international, cooperative effort between law enforcement groups in America and abroad, 42 individuals have been convicted for their involvement in a child exploitation network.
Operation Delego targeted members of an international, online criminal network known as “Dreamboard”, a website dedicated to the creation and spread of graphic images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Thursday 17th May, John Wyss, 55, of Monroe Wisconsin, known as “Bones” on the “Dreamboard”, was convicted on three charges for his involvement in the online child exploitation ring.
Wyss was one of the organization’s “Super VIP” members, who are required not only to upload, but also produce images and videos of child sexual abuse.
“This community encouraged members throughout the world to produce images of extreme child sexual abuse and to share these images with one another.” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Mr. Wyss is the 42nd Dreamboard member to be convicted for his participation in the child exploitation enterprise.”
Wyss produced images of sexually explicit activity over a webcam, including a video in which adult males are engaging in sexual intercourse with prepubescent girls.
According to trial documents, Wyss and other “Dreamboard” members traded graphic images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years-old and under, often violently.
Together, “Dreamboard” members amassed a private library, and encouraged the creation of new images and videos of child exploitation.
Wyss was one of 72 individuals were named in the original indictment that was unsealed in Shreveport, Louisiana on August 3, 2011.
Of that group 55 have been arrested and 42 have been found, or pleaded guilty to their involvement in the criminal enterprise. Of those found guilty, 25 have been imprisoned, with sentences ranging between 15 and 37 years.
According to US Attorney Stephanie Finley, 17 of the individuals named in the indictment remain at large, and are only known by their online identities. Law enforcement agencies across the globe are still working to identify and detain them, she said in a news release.
“The defendant, (Wyss) and people like him, who advertise, participate, distribute or exploit children to access child pornography work hard to evade law enforcement and disguise what they are doing,” said Finley. “Their sole purpose is to view children hurting for their own sexual satisfaction.”
She said the members of “Dreamboard” used the online aliases, or “screen names,”, as well as proxy servers which, rout internet traffic through other computers to prevent tracking by law enforcement.
“Dreamboard” members were also encouraged to use encryption software to password-protect their files.
According to the release, “Dreamboard” site administrators had ultimate control over membership, and required prospective members to upload child pornography when applying for membership. Members were also required to upload more images regularly in order to retain their memberships.
The members were organized according to their status and ranking. Those who uploaded more images and video were given the highest title of “Super VIP”, and given the most access. The higher the rank, the more material was available, the release said.
Posts made to the site were organized according to content including one section entitled “Super Hardcore.”
According to the US Department of Justice, the category rules described, in graphic language, the type of post permitted. They said only videos and images depicting adults having violent sexual intercourse with “very young kids” who were being subjected to both physical and sexual abuse and were in “in distress or crying.”
Operation Delego has been coordinated between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Justice; Eurojust, the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit and dozens of other law enforcement agencies around the world, according to the DoJ release.
They said 20 “Dreamboard” members across five continents and 14 countries have been arrested outside of the United States, including two of the five lead administrators of the site, and investigations remain open on several other suspects.
Board members were arrested in Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Operation Delego was a spinoff investigation of Operation Nest Egg, which targeted another online group dedicated to child exploitation. Nest Egg was also a spinoff of Operation Joint Hammer, which targeted transnational rings of child pornography trafficking.
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