News Releases and Statements

Timothy Geenen, a registered sex offender from North Port, Fla., was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Wednesday for distribution of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. ICE 's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).In mid-October 2005, Geenen sent eight e-mail messages that contained child pornography to someone in Minnesota

Gabriel Simmons from Onawa, Iowa was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison following his April guilty plea for producing child pornography.

Pabón-Santiago was charged and convicted with four counts of production of child pornography. From approximately June 2009 to December 2009, in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Pabón-Santiago employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced two female minors and two male minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Specifically, lascivious conduct, that is, still images using a mobile phone with camera capabilities and a memory card, which had been mailed, shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

Joseph Gittings, 26, of Cumming, Ga., was arrested in November 2009 as part of the international takedown of the "Boy Lover Network," (BLN) an on-line forum dedicated to the discussion and promulgation of man-boy love.

David Aric Ladewig pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Donald Wayne Waters, 44, formerly of Winnie, Texas, and a current resident of Houston, was indicted on June 22, for attempting to distribute, receive and possess child pornography. He was arrested on June 29 in Galveston.

James Waddell, 33, was charged in an indictment with 16 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of inducing travel to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count of online enticement.

Gordon D. Gazaway, 53, of Bellevue, Wash., was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2010. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of child pornography.

William Hurlbut of Fredericksburg, Va., pleaded guilty to producing child pornography following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Hurlbut admitted performing sexual acts with a sleeping eight-year-old boy and filming those acts with his iPhone in 2009.

Jonathan Zahra, 27, of Plainville, was sentenced in a case investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Plainville Police Department. After his prison term he will also serve 10 years of supervised release.

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging a 31-year-old Ashford man with receiving and possessing child pornography. Richard Hendricks, a former computer teacher at East Hampton Middle School, was investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, and the East Hampton Police Department.

Steven Waring, 32, of Titusville, Fla., is employed by the Brevard County School Board at Space Coast Junior/Senior High School.

Kevin Kaller Wright, 44, of Santa Monica, Calif., received the 84-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow.

Edwin Rodriguez was arrested on Wednesday charged with sexually abusing a woman who was detained at the Willacy Detention Center (WDC), an ICE-contracted detention facility in Raymondville, Texas. The case was investigated by U.S. ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in Harlingen, Texas.

Matthew Andrew Carter, operator of Morning Star Center, a residential facility located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that provided food and shelter to minors, was charged Thursday with sexually abusing minors in Haiti.

Travis Hunter Blank was found guilty on June 22 of transporting and possessing child pornography following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Richard Schell.

"U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested five Puerto Rican men on Wednesday for producing child pornography by making a female minor, identified by the initials ""KMV,"" lasciviously perform sexual acts which the men recorded on a digital still camera and a video camera."

Robert A. Howard Jr., 41, of Merritt Island, Fla., was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release, after he's released from prison.

Jeffery Louis Cribb, 51, was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. A forensic analysis of his seized computer revealed 1,065 child pornography images and 325 videos. The investigation was jointly conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Beaumont Police Department (BPD).

Recently, two U.S. ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents were recognized for their work towards catching child predators at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC.

"Citing the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, and community leaders, to form the ""Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force"" (PRCACTF). "

Michael J. Marceau, 43, of Aloha, Ore., appeared in court June 21 before Senior U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty. In addition to the lengthy jail term, Marceau will also be subject to a life term of supervised release following his incarceration. As part of his supervised release, Marceau will be subject to stringent conditions, including limitations on where he can reside, on his association with minors, and on his use of computers.

Nathan Mickelson was arrested without incident at a residence in Lewis Center, Ohio. According to court documents in the case, Mickelson admitted he had downloaded child pornography from the Internet using peer-to-peer file-sharing websites.

Dale Hodges, 29, of Roswell, Ga., was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for receiving images and videos on his computer showing young children being sexually abused as part of a ring known as 'Boylovers.net.'