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Operation Holitna - Guilty Pleas in Large Child P_rn Ring, Kidnapping Cases
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news reporter
May 8, 2013, 1:02:54 AM5/8/13
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- Massachusetts man pleads guilty to solicitation to kidnap a child
"Dungeon discussed in online chats discovered in defendant's basement"
- Eastern Kansas man pleads guilty to producing child pornography
- Massachusetts man sentenced for production of child pornography
"Led to a network of child pornographers around the world; 38
arrested, 138 children rescued"
- Boston-area child sexual exploitation investigation leads to arrests
in the Netherlands
"Dutch officials consequently arrested a 27-year-old daycare center
employee who confessed to dozens of sex crimes with children."
- Extraordinary endings in kidnapping cases
(Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, Shawn Hornbeck, Natascha Kampusch)
News Releases May 6, 2013 Boston, MA
Massachusetts man pleads guilty to solicitation to kidnap a child
Dungeon discussed in online chats discovered in defendant's basement;
discussed mutual interest in abducting, raping, murdering and eating
children with others in California, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey and
New Mexico – latest developments in Operation Holitna
BOSTON — A citizen of the United Kingdom and most recently of
Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty May 6 to solicitation to commit a
crime of violence – kidnaping of a child – and distribution and
possession of child pornography. The guilty plea is the result of an
extensive worldwide investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the agreed upon statement of facts, Geoffrey Portway, 40,
of Worcester, engaged in numerous chats with many individuals about a
mutual interest in abducting, raping, murdering and eating children.
Many of these conversations were accompanied by the trading of child
pornography. These chats also included images of children known to
them, accompanied by discussions of the desire to sexually abuse,
murder and cannibalize those children....
At least as early as 2010, Portway utilized Skype and other programs
to communicate with Arnett, trading child pornography including images
of injured, mutilated and deceased children while chatting about the
sexual abuse, rape, abduction, murder and cannibalism of children.
Over months, Portway repeatedly solicited Arnett to kidnap a child for
him, with the intent that Portway would ultimately rape, kill and eat
that child. These solicitations for help abducting a child included
discussing real children – by name and photo – that Arnett claimed to
know and have access to.
In the chats, Portway and Arnett discuss different ways to kidnap
children and the age range that Portway prefers. During the time that
Portway was soliciting Arnett, Portway had been told that Arnett had
helped others with such requests before and that Arnett had experience
with the abduction and sexual abuse of children. Arnett has since
pleaded guilty in Kansas to the sexual exploitation of a child for the
purposes of producing child pornography....
A forensic examination of the computers uncovered evidence of over
4,500 trades of child pornography between Portway and others. Many of
these trades involved Portway distributing child pornography to others
based on their stated specific preferences, including images and
videos appearing to depict dead children and the cannibalism of
children....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1305/130506boston.htm
News Releases February 11, 2013 Kansas City, KS
Eastern Kansas man pleads guilty to producing child pornography
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A suburban Kansas City man, who was arrested in
May as part of an international investigation into child sexual
exploitation, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to producing
child pornography.
This guilty plea resulted from an extensive investigation by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI).
Michael D. Arnett, 38, of Roeland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one
count of producing child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 30
years in prison.
During a May 15 search warrant, investigators discovered images of
child pornography on a computer at Arnett's home in Roeland Park. The
discovered child pornography included images of victims from Overland
Park, Kan., who were identified through clues in the photos. For
example, some photos showed a water bottle with a unique business logo
and a phone number beginning with the 913 local area code. Both clues
identified an aquatics business in Overland Park. This detective work
allowed HSI investigators to significantly narrow the focus of their
search for the victims.
With the assistance of teachers at an elementary school in Shawnee
Mission, Kan., HSI investigators ultimately identified three boys who
had been photographed at Arnett's home at 5451 Juniper Drive in
Roeland Park. At the time the photos were taken, the boys were 11, 8
and 2 years old....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1302/130211kansascity.htm
News Releases June 8, 2012 Boston, MA
Massachusetts man sentenced for production of child pornography
Led to a network of child pornographers around the world; 38 arrested,
138 children rescued
BOSTON – A Milford man was sentenced to 18 years in prison in federal
court. This investigation has led to an international child
pornography case involving the abuse of 138 children. This ongoing
worldwide investigation is being led by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Robert A. Diduca, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis
Saylor IV to 18 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of
supervised release. On Nov. 17, 2011, Diduca pleaded guilty to
production, distribution and possession of child pornography....
Diduca engaged in an online chat with an individual being separately
prosecuted in Arizona, persuading him to sexually abuse a four-year-
old child and take sexually explicit photos of the child. Diduca
provided the individual with a camera and suggested how the child
should be posed.
Diduca was also a member of an online forum for those with a sexual
interest in children, and sent a pornographic image of a child via
email. An investigation of that distributed image led to the
identification of the child, and the arrest of a Dutch national in the
Netherlands, who was charged with production, distribution and
possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87
minors.
Forensic evidence revealed over 27,000 images of child pornography in
Diduca's possession....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1206/120608boston.htm
News Releases December 13, 2010 Boston, MA
Boston-area child sexual exploitation investigation leads to arrests
in the Netherlands
BOSTON - Special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in
Boston, along with Massachusetts State Police (MSP) detectives
assigned to the Worcester District Attorney's Office, conducted
advanced computer forensics on a computer seized in a child sexual
exploitation investigation in the Boston-area. After intensive
investigative work, HSI special agents and the MSP, working with
Interpol and Dutch authorities, were able to track these photos to the
Netherlands. Dutch officials consequently arrested a 27-year-old
daycare center employee who confessed to dozens of sex crimes with
children....
Shortly thereafter, on the same evening, KLPD-Ipol, along with
Amsterdam Police, arrested a 27-year-old suspect. The suspect had
babysat the victim and had worked at at least two daycare centers in
Amsterdam. He also offered his services online as a babysitter.
The man's computers were seized and will be searched for evidence of
child sexual exploitation and he has since confessed to dozens of sex
crimes allegedly committed over the past year and a half. On Sunday,
more than 50 parents were also informed that the suspect has either
confessed to abusing their children or was thought to have done so....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1012/101213boston.htm
Extraordinary endings in kidnapping cases
Tue May 7, 2013
The rescue of three kidnapping victims is an extraordinary ending for
the child abductees.
Such endings are rare, but here are some similar cases of child
kidnappings which have occurred in recent years:
Jaycee Dugard
Ms Dugard was kidnapped in June 1991 in South Lake Tahoe, California
at age 11 and remained missing for more than 18 years....
Elizabeth Smart
Ms Smart was abducted from her bedroom in an affluent suburb of Salt
Lake City, Utah, in March, 2003, at age 14.
She was found nine months later in Sandy, Utah, only a few miles from
her home....
Shawn Hornbeck
Mr Hornbeck was 11 years old when he was abducted near his home in
Richwoods, Missouri while riding his bicycle and remained missing for
more than four years.
He was found, along with Ben Ownby, 13, who had been abducted more
recently, in the Kirkwood, Missouri, apartment of Michael J Devlin, in
January 2007.
Devlin pleaded guilty to abduction and child sex abuse and was
sentenced to life in prison.
Natascha Kampusch
Ms Kampusch was abducted at the age of 10 in March 1998 on her way to
school in Vienna, Austria and held for more than eight years in a
secret cellar in the small town of Strasshof until she escaped in
August, 2006....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/extraordinary-endings-in-kidnapping-cases/4674938
"Dungeon discussed in online chats discovered in defendant's basement"
- Eastern Kansas man pleads guilty to producing child pornography
- Massachusetts man sentenced for production of child pornography
"Led to a network of child pornographers around the world; 38
arrested, 138 children rescued"
- Boston-area child sexual exploitation investigation leads to arrests
in the Netherlands
"Dutch officials consequently arrested a 27-year-old daycare center
employee who confessed to dozens of sex crimes with children."
- Extraordinary endings in kidnapping cases
(Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, Shawn Hornbeck, Natascha Kampusch)
News Releases May 6, 2013 Boston, MA
Massachusetts man pleads guilty to solicitation to kidnap a child
Dungeon discussed in online chats discovered in defendant's basement;
discussed mutual interest in abducting, raping, murdering and eating
children with others in California, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey and
New Mexico – latest developments in Operation Holitna
BOSTON — A citizen of the United Kingdom and most recently of
Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty May 6 to solicitation to commit a
crime of violence – kidnaping of a child – and distribution and
possession of child pornography. The guilty plea is the result of an
extensive worldwide investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the agreed upon statement of facts, Geoffrey Portway, 40,
of Worcester, engaged in numerous chats with many individuals about a
mutual interest in abducting, raping, murdering and eating children.
Many of these conversations were accompanied by the trading of child
pornography. These chats also included images of children known to
them, accompanied by discussions of the desire to sexually abuse,
murder and cannibalize those children....
At least as early as 2010, Portway utilized Skype and other programs
to communicate with Arnett, trading child pornography including images
of injured, mutilated and deceased children while chatting about the
sexual abuse, rape, abduction, murder and cannibalism of children.
Over months, Portway repeatedly solicited Arnett to kidnap a child for
him, with the intent that Portway would ultimately rape, kill and eat
that child. These solicitations for help abducting a child included
discussing real children – by name and photo – that Arnett claimed to
know and have access to.
In the chats, Portway and Arnett discuss different ways to kidnap
children and the age range that Portway prefers. During the time that
Portway was soliciting Arnett, Portway had been told that Arnett had
helped others with such requests before and that Arnett had experience
with the abduction and sexual abuse of children. Arnett has since
pleaded guilty in Kansas to the sexual exploitation of a child for the
purposes of producing child pornography....
A forensic examination of the computers uncovered evidence of over
4,500 trades of child pornography between Portway and others. Many of
these trades involved Portway distributing child pornography to others
based on their stated specific preferences, including images and
videos appearing to depict dead children and the cannibalism of
children....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1305/130506boston.htm
News Releases February 11, 2013 Kansas City, KS
Eastern Kansas man pleads guilty to producing child pornography
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A suburban Kansas City man, who was arrested in
May as part of an international investigation into child sexual
exploitation, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to producing
child pornography.
This guilty plea resulted from an extensive investigation by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI).
Michael D. Arnett, 38, of Roeland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one
count of producing child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 30
years in prison.
During a May 15 search warrant, investigators discovered images of
child pornography on a computer at Arnett's home in Roeland Park. The
discovered child pornography included images of victims from Overland
Park, Kan., who were identified through clues in the photos. For
example, some photos showed a water bottle with a unique business logo
and a phone number beginning with the 913 local area code. Both clues
identified an aquatics business in Overland Park. This detective work
allowed HSI investigators to significantly narrow the focus of their
search for the victims.
With the assistance of teachers at an elementary school in Shawnee
Mission, Kan., HSI investigators ultimately identified three boys who
had been photographed at Arnett's home at 5451 Juniper Drive in
Roeland Park. At the time the photos were taken, the boys were 11, 8
and 2 years old....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1302/130211kansascity.htm
News Releases June 8, 2012 Boston, MA
Massachusetts man sentenced for production of child pornography
Led to a network of child pornographers around the world; 38 arrested,
138 children rescued
BOSTON – A Milford man was sentenced to 18 years in prison in federal
court. This investigation has led to an international child
pornography case involving the abuse of 138 children. This ongoing
worldwide investigation is being led by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Robert A. Diduca, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis
Saylor IV to 18 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of
supervised release. On Nov. 17, 2011, Diduca pleaded guilty to
production, distribution and possession of child pornography....
Diduca engaged in an online chat with an individual being separately
prosecuted in Arizona, persuading him to sexually abuse a four-year-
old child and take sexually explicit photos of the child. Diduca
provided the individual with a camera and suggested how the child
should be posed.
Diduca was also a member of an online forum for those with a sexual
interest in children, and sent a pornographic image of a child via
email. An investigation of that distributed image led to the
identification of the child, and the arrest of a Dutch national in the
Netherlands, who was charged with production, distribution and
possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87
minors.
Forensic evidence revealed over 27,000 images of child pornography in
Diduca's possession....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1206/120608boston.htm
News Releases December 13, 2010 Boston, MA
Boston-area child sexual exploitation investigation leads to arrests
in the Netherlands
BOSTON - Special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in
Boston, along with Massachusetts State Police (MSP) detectives
assigned to the Worcester District Attorney's Office, conducted
advanced computer forensics on a computer seized in a child sexual
exploitation investigation in the Boston-area. After intensive
investigative work, HSI special agents and the MSP, working with
Interpol and Dutch authorities, were able to track these photos to the
Netherlands. Dutch officials consequently arrested a 27-year-old
daycare center employee who confessed to dozens of sex crimes with
children....
Shortly thereafter, on the same evening, KLPD-Ipol, along with
Amsterdam Police, arrested a 27-year-old suspect. The suspect had
babysat the victim and had worked at at least two daycare centers in
Amsterdam. He also offered his services online as a babysitter.
The man's computers were seized and will be searched for evidence of
child sexual exploitation and he has since confessed to dozens of sex
crimes allegedly committed over the past year and a half. On Sunday,
more than 50 parents were also informed that the suspect has either
confessed to abusing their children or was thought to have done so....
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1012/101213boston.htm
Extraordinary endings in kidnapping cases
Tue May 7, 2013
The rescue of three kidnapping victims is an extraordinary ending for
the child abductees.
Such endings are rare, but here are some similar cases of child
kidnappings which have occurred in recent years:
Jaycee Dugard
Ms Dugard was kidnapped in June 1991 in South Lake Tahoe, California
at age 11 and remained missing for more than 18 years....
Elizabeth Smart
Ms Smart was abducted from her bedroom in an affluent suburb of Salt
Lake City, Utah, in March, 2003, at age 14.
She was found nine months later in Sandy, Utah, only a few miles from
her home....
Shawn Hornbeck
Mr Hornbeck was 11 years old when he was abducted near his home in
Richwoods, Missouri while riding his bicycle and remained missing for
more than four years.
He was found, along with Ben Ownby, 13, who had been abducted more
recently, in the Kirkwood, Missouri, apartment of Michael J Devlin, in
January 2007.
Devlin pleaded guilty to abduction and child sex abuse and was
sentenced to life in prison.
Natascha Kampusch
Ms Kampusch was abducted at the age of 10 in March 1998 on her way to
school in Vienna, Austria and held for more than eight years in a
secret cellar in the small town of Strasshof until she escaped in
August, 2006....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/extraordinary-endings-in-kidnapping-cases/4674938
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