CHILD EXPLOITATION ENTERPRISE
WeReo_BoY
DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
A federal grand jury in Pensacola, Fla. has returned a 35-count indictment
against 12 individuals who engaged in a criminal enterprise involving the
advertisement, transportation, and shipment of child pornography over a
two-year period, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal
Division, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Gregory R.
Miller, and FBI Executive Assistant Director J. Stephen Tidwell announced
today.
According to the indictment, the 12 men participated since August 2006 in a
highly-sophisticated and well-organized scheme to proliferate child sex
abuse images to the organization's membership. Until the group was
dismantled by law enforcement, members of the group utilized Internet
newsgroups - or large file-sharing networks where text, software, pictures
and videos can be traded and shared - to traffic in illegal images and
videos depicting prepubescent children, including toddlers, engaged in
various sexual and sadistic acts. The group utilized sophisticated
encryption methods to avoid detection and traded over 400,000 images and
videos of child sexual abuse before being dismantled. The charges were
developed after law enforcement infiltrated the group.
The indictment charges the 12 defendants with numerous federal crimes,
including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy,
advertisement of child pornography, transportation of child pornography,
receipt of child pornography, and obstruction of justice. Charged in the
indictment are:
? Michael Berger , 33, of Mechanicsville , Va. ;
? James Freeman, 47, of Santa Rosa Beach , Fla. ;
? Ruble Keys, 55, of Medford , Ore. ;
? Gary Lakey, 54, of Anderson , Ind. ;
? Marvin Lambert, 33, of Indianapolis , Ind. ;
? Neville McGarity , 40, of Medina , Texas ;
? John Mosman, 46, of Waterbury , Conn. ;
? Warren Mumpower, 63, of Spokane , Wash.;
? Raymond Roy, 54, of San Juan Capistrano , Calif. ;
? Erik Wayerski , 46, of Round Rock, Texas ;
? Warren Weber, 56, of Boise , Idaho ; and
? Ronald White, 59, of Burlington , N.C.
If convicted of these offenses, each defendant faces a prison sentence of at
least 20 years, up to a maximum of life imprisonment, in addition to
applicable statutory fines.
Two additional defendants associated with this case were arrested on
criminal complaints on February 29, 2008 . They are Stepan Bondarenko, 38,
of Philadelphia , Pa. and Daniel Castleman, 43, of Lubbock , Texas .