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Texas Woman Charged With Taking Girl Abroad for FGM
in Landmark US Case
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UN data suggests that more than 200 million girls and women have been cut.
Jan 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
A Texas woman has been charged with taking a girl abroad to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) in the first such case in the United States, the justice department said.
News of the indictment came a week after President Donald Trump signed a law toughening the country’s ban on the ancient ritual and doubling the maximum jail sentence from five to 10 years.
“This indictment ... demonstrates that we will not rest in pursuing and holding to account those who engage in this cruelty,” David P. Burns, head of the justice department’s criminal division, said in a statement.
The “brutal practice” of FGM not only causes immediate trauma, he said, but often condemns victims to lifelong physical and psychological harm.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than half a million girls and women in the United States have undergone or are at risk of FGM, which involves the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia.
Globally, more than 200 million girls and women have been cut, often in the name of religion or tradition, according to United Nations’ data.
The Department of Justice said a 39-year-old Houston woman, who is originally from Britain, had been charged “with knowingly transporting a minor from the United States ... for the purpose of FGM” between July 10 and Oct. 14, 2016. It did not say to which country the girl was taken.
FGM experts told the Thomson Reuters Foundation the woman’s name suggested she was from the Dawoodi Bohra community, a Shia Muslim sect originating from South Asia thought to have about 2 million members worldwide.
The Bohra traditionally cut the clitoral hood of girls at about age 7 in a ritual known as khatna or khafd, which they consider a religious obligation.
Globally, FGM is more commonly linked to African countries, where cutters sometimes remove all external genitalia.
Often using rudimentary tools, and without anesthetic.
The United States banned FGM in 1996, updating the legislation in 2013 to make it an offense to take someone to another country to be cut.
However, the law was overhauled after attempts to prosecute a doctor accused of cutting Bohra girls in Detroit collapsed in 2018 when a judge ruled the law was unconstitutional and that FGM was a state issue.
The “STOP FGM Act of 2020” closed the loophole, letting federal authorities prosecute FGM offences across the country.
The FGM experts said the Houston woman had been charged under the old law, which remained effective for prosecuting cases where a girl is taken abroad.
In 2016, the practice of FGM among the Bohra made global headlines when a mother and midwife were sentenced to 15 months for cutting two girls following a high-profile trial in Australia.
Many Bohra communities around the world subsequently issued edicts against the practice.
Wanted man arrested in Oregon faces sex abuse, child porn charges
by KATU Staff
Wednesday, January 20th 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man wanted by federal and local governments for alleged sex abuse and child pornography charges was arrested last week, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office.
Nicholas Santoya, 31, was arrested on Friday, Jan. 15, after special investigators with the sheriff's office found him in McMinnville. A heavy police response was used to capture Santoya, including FBI agents and a police K-9. During the arrest, Santoya was bitten by the police dog and was taken to a nearby hospital for the injury before being lodged in jail, according to authorities.
The Yamhill sheriff's office said there were several outstanding warrants for his arrest after he was indicted by a county grand jury for multiple crimes, including sex abuse, strangulation, assault, and harassment. There was also a federal warrant issued by the FBI for manufacturing child pornography.
Authorities said there was no bail set for Santoya.
Lubbock, Tx dentist charged with sexual performance of a child,
already charged with child pornography
by: Staff | newsweb@everythinglubbock.com
Posted: Jan 20, 2021 / 02:10 PM CST
LUBBOCK, Texas – Another criminal charge was filed against Lubbock dentist, accused of grooming children for sexual abuse.
Well-known Lubbock Dentist Jason Paul White, 41, was charged Wednesday with sexual performance of a child – which is in addition to the child pornography charge he already faced.
An arrest warrant said White gave a sex toy to two teenagers and touched their buttocks without consent. White also convinced one of them to send a nude video to him over Snapchat.
“Based on my training and experience, and the statements and facts listed above, I believe White to be grooming [victim 1] and [victim 2]”
Police were notified in December, and a federal charge was filed on January 13.
White was in federal court Wednesday morning for an appearance before a magistrate. The magistrate ordered another hearing for Friday to determine if White could be released from jail pending the federal charge. Bond was requested at $150,000 on the state charge.
(Sexual performance of a child means White is accused of inducing a child to engage in sexual conduct or a sexual performance.)
Schuyler Co., NY juvenile, 14, sentenced on sex abuse charges
involving 8- and 9-year-olds
Jeff Smith
The Leader
WATKINS GLEN - A 14-year-old Town of Tyrone resident was ordered Tuesday to be placed in juvenile detention for a year and a half following a judge’s determination that in 2020 he sexually abused two underage children.
Schuyler County Attorney Steven J. Getman, who prosecuted the case in Schuyler County Family Court, said the teen, whose name was not released because of his youthful offender status, was found to be a juvenile delinquent on two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and ordered into the custody of the Commissioner of Social Services, for placement in a residential treatment facility.
The charges stemmed from incidents in December, in which the teen allegedly had sexual contact with two children, ages 8 and 9, according to court papers. The teen was charged following an investigation by the New York State Police.
Assistant Schuyler County Attorney Vinton Stevens, representing Getman’s office at Tuesday’s hearing, submitted evidence that officials say indicated the teen was a “high risk” and required placement outside the home for the protection of the community.
The juvenile defendant was represented by Ithaca attorney Kevin Kelly through New York State’s assigned counsel for children program, Getman said.
After hearing from the attorneys, Schuyler County Family Court Judge Matthew Hayden ordered the teen placed with the Commissioner of Social Services for a year and a half.
Hayden also entered an order of protection directing the teen to have no contact with his victims.
The Schuyler County Attorney's Office, rather than the District Attorney, serves as “presentment agency,” prosecuting cases of juveniles accused of crimes or delinquent behavior in Family Court, officials noted. The County Attorney also serves as the attorney for the Department of Social Services when investigating Family Court cases of suspected child abuse and neglect.
Tyrone, NY
Former Oregon Elementary School Teacher Pleads Guilty
To Child Sex Abuse
Posted: 2021-01-20 07:44
by TTWN Media Networks Inc.
Court records show 38-year-old William Hamman pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of sex trafficking of a child.
Hamman used social media to arrange meeting with the girl in 2018. Police arrested him in 2019 and found video of one of the assaults on his phone.
Sentencing is set for March 1st.
Registered sex offender busted for child pornography in Georgia
by CLAIRE HELM, WGXA StaffTuesday,
January 19th 2021
SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) - A registered sex offender in Spalding County has been arrested again for sexual exploitation of children.
The GBI's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit opened its investigation into Woodard's online activity after getting multiple tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about him uploading child pornography to a "popular online platform."
The Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Department of Community Supervision, and GBI agents took out a search warrant at Woodard's home on January 19. A search of his electronic devices turned up evidence that led to his arrest that same day.
Woodard had been arrested in 2016 and was indicted in Henry County Superior Court on 23 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children for possessing child pornography.
In that case, he plead guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with the first eight years to be served in confinement, and the rest to be served on probation. He was released from prison in June 2020 and put on parole.
That's amazing. He got a 30 year sentence and was out in 4! Does this mean he will have to spend the remaining 26 years of his previous sentence? Not likely!
Spalding Co., Ga
Former North Freedom, Wi man sentenced for possessing
child sexual assault images
Bridget Cooke 9 hrs ago
A former North Freedom man was sentenced Friday to prison for two felony counts of possessing child pornography.
David M. Larsen, 46, Lodi, faced up to 50 years in prison for images of child sexual abuse found on his computer in December 2018. Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett sentenced Larsen to four years in a state prison, three of confinement and one year of extended supervision, and to register on the sex offender registry for 15 years after the conclusion of the extended supervision.
The second count of possession was dismissed, but read in, meaning it was considered in sentencing.
Larsen was ordered Jan. 6 to seven days in the local jail after being found guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier in Columbia County Circuit Court. He has a jail start date of Feb. 5 and will be allowed to serve those days at the same time he serves the prison sentence. Another charge of felony bail jumping was dismissed by District Attorney Brenda Yaskal.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Sauk County Circuit Court, Special Agent Ryan Condon of the Wisconsin Department of Justice reviewed computer data received by law enforcement in October 2018. The data showed that an IP address, a numerical label assigned to every device connected to a network, near the Prairie du Sac area had blocks of files that were likely child sexual abuse images.
When the department filed a warrant with telecommunications company TDS Telecom, law enforcement agents were able to get records in late November that traced the IP address back to Larsen at S7559 Highway 12 in North Freedom.
Authorities seized materials from the home in December 2018 after getting a search warrant. The files, found on a one terabyte hard drive storage device taken from Larsen’s laptop, were reviewed by Condon at the end of May.
The device had two images of prepubescent girls, one nude standing in front of a dresser with her arm crossed over her body, and the other, naked as well, holding herself up by her arms while lying on a bed with her legs spread open.
According to the complaint, Larsen had a program on his computer that had links to files of sites known to distribute child sexual assault imagery. Files downloaded to Larsen’s computer included names and ages of children.
During an interview in November 2019, Larsen told authorities he had gone to the site to download ordinary films illegally and had clicked on random links, discovering the images. He also told officers that he was curious about them, and when he realized he liked the assault imagery, would continue to download them. Because it was illegal and morally wrong, he said he would delete them after viewing. Larsen said he had a program on his computer meant to delete those types of files from it, but “apparently it didn’t do a good job.”
Larsen told authorities he recognized only one of the images found on his computer and admitted that he had viewed images with children as young as toddlers, noting that he specifically remembered viewing a series with a prepubescent blonde who would either be posed nude or shown being sexually assaulted by an adult.
As part of the sentencing, Larsen must pay $500 for each of the images found and $518 for court costs and supervision fees. He currently owes $1,176 to the court.
Fourth lawsuit against Longview, Tx doctor claims
he sought 'vulnerable' child patients
Author: Courtney Stern, Longview News-Journal
Published: 7:21 PM CST January 19, 2021
Matt Elza Hipke, 58, was charged in August with two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14. He was released the same day on bonds totaling $1 million.
On Jan. 8, a Houston law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of a couple and their twin nephews of whom they have custody against Hipke and his medical practice, Adolescent Care Team, which since has closed.
Read the full story from our newspaper partners the Longview News-Journal.
Surry County, N.C. man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison
for child pornography
Michael Hewlett, Winston-Salem Journal
Jan 19, 2021
A Mount Airy man will spend the next 20 years in prison on charges that he communicated with someone he thought was a 13-year-old Alamance County girl and sent her child pornography.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles sentenced Wood to 20 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors said that in May 2018, Wood started chatting online with a detective with the Alamance County Sheriff's Office who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. During the chats, Wood talked about sex and encouraged the undercover officer to engage in sex acts.
Wood sent a video to the officer during the chats both in May 2018 and again in July 2018 that showed an adult engaging in sex acts with a 12-year-old girl.
Wood was arrested on July 27, 2018, in Surry County. Investigators with Homeland Security Investigations reviewed Wood's phones and found over 75 child pornography images and videos.
They also learned that Wood had a sexually inappropriate online relationship with a 16-year-old girl from May 2014 to June 2015, according to the news release and court documents. The girl believed Wood was 17 and sent Wood nude pictures of herself, according to court documents.
Wood's prosecution was part of a wider effort by the Alamance County Sheriff's Office that resulted in 18 arrests and 13 convictions in state and federal court. Three other cases from the operation were prosecuted in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina.
The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to fight online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Federal judge detains Bay Area man accused of filming sexual abuse of 15-year-old boy, distributing it online
Defendant ‘is not county jail material,’ attorney argued
By NATE GARTRELL | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 19, 2021 at 3:47 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — Last week, a federal judge ordered a San Mateo man jailed pending the resolution of child porn distribution charges against him after prosecutors argued he’d filmed himself sexually abusing a 15-year-old and shared the video online.
Christian Guardado, 24, was charged in federal court with child porn distribution and will remain in Santa Rita Jail until his case is resolved or a judge revisits last week’s decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex Tse. During the court hearing, Tse listened to arguments from Guardado’s attorney that Guardado was “not a pedophile” because he was accused of unlawful sex with teens, not younger children.
“(Guardado) finds himself in a terrifying situation. He’s not, honestly, county jail material,” said Erik Babcock, the attorney representing Guardado.
Tse said he was “uncomfortable” ordering Guardado back to his home, where the alleged offenses occurred, and said he was concerned releasing Guardado to a halfway house wouldn’t be enough to keep him off the internet.
“At this point I do not think there are any conditions that can be imposed that would mitigate the risk the community,” Tse said before ordering Guardado locked up.
Babcock noted that one of the alleged victims, a boy who was 15 at the time, told authorities he claimed to be 17 in online conversations with Guardado. He described the case as “not what people think of when they think of a child pornography case,” and pointed out that the age of consent is 16 in several states.
“These are not 5-year-olds, 10-year-olds 14-year-olds, these are teenagers … my client is not a pedophile,” Babcock said of the allegations, adding that his client wasn’t attracted to kids. “He’s not targeting children. Legally they’re children, but they’re close in age to my client.”
Prosecutors, though, say Guardado was well-aware Minor Victim 1 was 15, and that he shared videos of the alleged sexual abuse with “no less than” seven others. When sharing one video with another person, Guardado allegedly wrote, “this is some other 15-year-old,” referring to the boy and referred to being in touch with a 15-year-old who “makes me pay 300 every time we hang.”
When authorities interviewed Guardado late last year, he at first claimed he thought the boy was “18 or 19,” but when confronted said it was possible he was “17 or 16” at the time the videos were taken. When agents told Guardado his math wasn’t adding up and that he’d had contact with the boy several years prior, he replied, “I meet guys a lot. I don’t know … I have so much sex,” according to a prosecution motion to keep him detained.
Prosecutors also wrote that Homeland Security Investigations — a branch of ICE that led the investigation into Guardado — believes there could be additional victims.
“HSI has potentially identified numerous additional suspected minor victims, although their names and ages remain unconfirmed. In addition to Minor Victim 1, at least one other victim – Suspected Minor Victim 2 – involved hands-on abuse by Guardado,” prosecutors wrote in the motion.
At one point in the hearing, Babcock said that at the time of the alleged offenses, no judge had specifically ordered Guardado not to have sex with minors. He said Tse issuing such an order would be enough to ensure Guardado refrained from repeating the alleged offenses if he was released.
“If you tell my client not to do it, he won’t do it,” Babcock said.
“I’m not sure a judge has to order someone to obey the law,” Tse replied.
It might be the lawyer's duty rather than the judges.
Jay, Fla couple charged in child sex abuse and pornography case
by: Daniel Smithson
Posted: Jan 19, 2021 / 01:22 PM CST
SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Two Jay residents have been charged in child sex abuse and pornography case.
Brandi Harper, 38, is charged with capital sexual battery and 35-year-old John David McKenzie has been charged with 10 counts of child pornography.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson announced their arrests at a press conference Tuesday.
Harper allegedly raped a young boy and recorded herself doing it. After Harper’s son found video of the sexual abuse on McKenzie’s cell phone, he called the sheriff’s office.
A search warrant was issued and the cell phone was seized by investigators.
Johnson would not specify the boy’s age but said the boy is the youngest victim of sexual abuse he has ever seen.
“It just makes me sick to my stomach knowing what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings, especially human beings that can’t take care of themselves,” Johnson said. “It amazes me that there people out there like this.”
Harper is being held in the Santa Rosa County jail without bond. McKenzie is being held on a $75,000 bond.
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