ICE seeks public's help to identify additional victims in child exploitation case
PHOENIX – Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are seeking the public’s help to identify possible additional victims in an ongoing child sexual exploitation probe involving an employee at a local gym.
Edward Orth, 25, of Phoenix, was taken into custody Feb. 25 by HSI special agents based on evidence uncovered during the execution of a state search warrant related to possible child pornography violations. At the time of his arrest, Orth was employed at LifeTime Fitness in Scottsdale as an assistant in the center’s KinderPrep section where he had regular contact with children. He remains in state custody at this time on a $25,000 bond.
Orth was indicted March 9 by a state grand jury on 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of voyeurism. The charges stem from an HSI investigation into allegations Orth used a website to trade illicit images of children. Last week, HSI special agents executed two search warrants in connection with the investigation.
Investigators note LifeTime Fitness is cooperating fully with the investigation. Over the coming weeks HSI victim-witness specialists will be working with the gym’s management to identify and contact parents whose children may have had contact with Orth. This case is being prosecuted by the Office of the Arizona Attorney General.
“Given this individual’s line of work and the nature of the allegations in this case, we believe there is a possibility there are unidentified juvenile victims,” said Matthew Allen, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “We want to encourage anyone in the community who may have information that could be relevant to the case to come forward.”
Any parent who believes their child was a possible victim of Orth’s is urged to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or http://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form.
The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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