Arrests Reveal Kiddie Porn Industry Thriving on Internet
by Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
October 11, 2004
(AgapePress) - A former justice department prosecutor says the recent child pornography bust announced by the attorney is just the tip of the iceberg.Pat Trueman, a consultant for the Family Research Council, has watched the child porn industry explode since the Internet made it much easier to get kiddie porn material. He points out with alarm that child pornography today is "anywhere you want to look" in cyberspace.
"It's on Yahoo. It's on MSN. You can sign up for one of their sex clubs that deal with children and get names of individuals who want to trade," Trueman says. "Child pornography, because of the Internet, has become for a pedophile as easy to get as any material that you might want to seek on the Internet."
The pro-family consultant cites a recent kiddie porn bust in which Justice Department investigators nabbed a bank manager, a school janitor, a teacher, and many other people allegedly involved in this illicit activity. He says the arrests show the impact this abusive crime has had on society.
"Typically people who are looking for children are in professions where children can be found," Trueman explains. "Pedophiles become pediatricians. Pedophiles become school bus drivers. They become Little League coaches, Boy Scout troop leaders. The scope of who you might find is phenomenal," he says.
Nine men from across New Jersey were arrested and/or charged just last week in this latest development stemming from an ongoing domestic and international prosecution effort surrounding a Belarus-based child pornography enterprise. According to U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, the investigation has resulted in indictments against the owners of the company known as Regpay, against its affiliates, and against hundreds of subscribers worldwide.
"Child pornography is a scourge that has spread explosively across the globe aided by the Internet," Christie commented recently in a press release. He says the Regpay investigation has required "a remarkable effort, starting right here in New Jersey, to bring so many people to account worldwide for dealing in this despicable trade in innocent children."
The recently arrested defendants had all subscribed via credit card to a particular kiddie porn website, which allowed subscribers to upload or download pornographic images of children. Each has been charged with possession of illicit child porn material and could receive up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Some of the defendants may face additional charges for alleged incidents of fondling, molestation, or rape of minors.
Trueman says increased prosecutions will help curtail the child pornography industry, and he believes there will be plenty more opportunities to catch more abusers and exploiters of children. According to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, the ongoing Regpay investigation "highlights the global reach of law enforcement into the seediest portions of cyberspace."
