News Releases and Statements

Richard J. Simone Jr., 23, of Acworth, Ga., is charged with one count of traveling across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. Simone was initially arrested in September.

On Oct. 23, Mark Luscombe of Verwood, England, had initiated online conversations with an undercover HSI special agent in San Jose, Calif., who was posing as the father of a 9-year-old girl. Luscombe distributed 93 images and videos depicting child pornography to the undercover HSI agent, who then contacted the Dorset Police.

Thaddeus Vaskas, a repeat child pornographer from Tunkhannock, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in prison for possession of child pornography following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Timothy Murray was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Wednesday for possession and distribution of more than 650 movies and 450 images of child pornography. Murray had previously served as a Catholic priest before being removed when substantiated allegations of Murray's prior sexual abuse of a young boy came to light.

HSI special agents arrested Raheem T. Creque, aka Shano, after they received information from the USVIPD regarding a complaint made by a 17-year-old female who claimed she was being blackmailed and sexually assaulted by Creque.

A forensic analysis of Don Osborne's computer revealed more than 1,000 images of child pornography. At the time of this offense, Osborne was on probation for a previous sex offense in Florida.

Padraic Collins, 46, faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.

A new international agreement was signed Wednesday by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Paraguayan Attorney General's Office to streamline information sharing regarding suspected child pornography.

Travis James McReynolds, 32, from Pearland, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa to 351 months and 60 months in federal prison for the producing and distributing convictions, respectively; these sentences will run concurrently.

Clark Alan Tyler, 53, of Rosamond, and Daniel Oluwa Sesan Leitch, 31, of Fresno, received sentences of 12 years and seven months and six and one half years, respectively, in prison for distributing child pornography.

The new initiative from HSI Cartagena enhances the ability of local law enforcement to target child pornography and child sex tourism in Colombia.

Corey Dean Farmer, 37, will serve 151 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell also ordered that Farmer pay $157,143.23 restitution to his victims.

HSI special agents assigned to the Delaware Child Predator Task Force became aware of William Zimmerman during an investigation into another registered child sex offender.

Eladio G. Ramirez Tizoc, 22, was arrested by the Turlock Police Department in Stanislaus County, Calif., on two counts of sodomy, two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, penetration with a foreign object and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

On Jan. 4, 2013, HSI special agents arrested Jimmy Caraballo-Colon, 25, at his place of residence. The Greenwood Village Police Department determined he was blackmailing a 17-year-old female from Colorado who he met in an anonymous Internet video chat website.

Law enforcement seized electronic media during a search of John Dewey Todd's residence, and a preliminary examination of some of the seized materials revealed they contained at least 12,000 files of child pornography.

An organized crime group that facilitated the live streaming of on-demand child sexual abuse in the Philippines has been dismantled after a joint investigation by the U.K. 's National Crime Agency (NCA), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Aaron N. Debarardnis, 26, of Lower Township, was arrested July 26, 2012, and pleaded guilty Nov. 18 to using a file-sharing network to distribute images and videos of child pornography online from his home computer.

Allen Trent Carter, 53, of McCammon, Idaho, was identified during the course of an investigation into his son, Bradley Vaine, 27, of Fresno. That probe revealed McCammon had exchanged numerous child pornography images and engaged in Facebook chat sessions with his son discussing the sexual abuse of children.

On Jan. 8, Joshua L. Ayala-Carmona sent a 14-year-old minor text messages where he requested nude images of her and tried to coordinate transportation for her to a nearby residence with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

Alvin Westley, 49, from Palestine, Texas, pleaded guilty Jan. 9 before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love to possessing child pornography.

Robbie Newby, from Grapeland, Texas, pleaded guilty Jan. 9 before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love to sexually exploiting a child.

Christopher Peter Swan, 30, is charged with possessing, receiving and distributing child pornography. Swan told HSI special agents he downloaded and possesses a large amount of child pornography. He stated he prefers child pornography that involves 10-year-old children and older.

Dustin Howard Muscha, 33, of Moorhead, Minn., was sentenced Jan. 8 by U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to 360 months in federal prison for sexually exploiting minors, and producing and possessing child pornography.

Paul Pittman, 45, was sentenced Jan. 8 by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos to 84 months in prison to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court considered the need to protect the public and deter future criminal behavior by Pittman and others.