- Operation Delego
-
Operation Delego[1] is a major international law enforcement [2] investigation which dismantled an international pedophile ring that operated an invitation-only Internet site named Dreamboard. Only 72 charges were filed against the approximately 600 members of Dreamboard, which featured incentives for images of the violent sexual abuse of young children under twelve, including infants, due to the extensive encryption involved. Members were required to upload new material at least every 50 days to maintain their access and remain in good standing. Of those arrested to date (among them a Virginia high school football coach), at least 15 actually produced the child pornography they posted to the bulletin board.[3]
Dozens of law enforcement agencies were involved worldwide,[4] including Eurojust, and arrests were made on all five continents.[5] Twenty of those charged, however, are only known by their Internet handles, and as such were each individually charged as John Does and remain at large. However, some of the indictments have been unsealed as of August 2011, and the names of some of those involved in Dreamboard are available.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated at a news conference that "The board may have been the vehicle for the distribution of up to 123 terabytes of child pornography, which is roughly equivalent to 16,000 DVDs," making this the DHS's largest child porn bust in its history. Launched in 2009 by federal law enforcement, Operation Delego resulted in the arrest of 52 people in 14 countries including Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland, according to Department of Justice Attorney General Eric Holder. Furthermore, according to federal agents, while Dreamboard's servers were located in Louisiana, the site's top administrators were in France and Canada.
Operation Delego is ongoing.[4]
References
- ^ "Justice Department". http://www.justice.gov/opa/delego-docs.html. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Dozens charged in child porn ring bust - US news - Crime & courts - msnbc.com". MSNBC. 2011-05-08. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44002915/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/living-horror-dozens-charged-international-child-porn-ring/?fb_ref=.TjnKfstIF7I.like&fb_source=other_multiline#.Tjr_cCw_50h. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ "Parry McCluer football coach shamed by link to global kid porn ring, U.S. says". Roanoke.com. http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/294991. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ a b "DHS: Secretary Napolitano and Attorney General Holder Announce Largest U.S. Prosecution of International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children". Dhs.gov. http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20110803-napolitano-holder-announce-largest-prosecution-criminal-network.shtm. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ . "72 charged in federal child porn bust - YNN, Your News Now". Capitalregion.ynn.com. http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/top_stories/552291/72-charged-in-federal-child-porn-bust/. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
External links
Categories:- Child pornography crackdowns
- Cybercrime
- United States Department of Homeland Security
- Law enforcement stubs
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