Elgin, Ill man accused of sex abuse, child porn possession
Kevin Schmit, Daily Herald
A 35-year-old Elgin man has been charged with sexually abusing a minor and possession of child pornography, the Kane County state's attorney's office announced on Tuesday.
Erik M. Valentine, of the 400 block of North Aldine Street, was charged with six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim younger than 17 in addition to the child pornography charge.
Valentine appeared Saturday in Kane County bond court. After Judge Reginald Campbell set bail at $50,000, Valentine posted $5,000 bond and was released.
Valentine's next court appearance is at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at the Kane County Judicial Center.
The case is still under investigation. Anyone with information should call Elgin police at (847) 289-2600.
Cleveland Man Accused Of Distributing Child Pornography
By Chris Mosby, Patch Staff
CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man is in custody after the FBI accused him of receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to the FBI, Benjamin Whitcomb, 26, was taken into custody on Friday. Agents found evidence 14 videos and images of child sex abuse had been shared by Whitcomb, a bureau spokesperson said.
The investigation into Whitcomb began Aug. 7, 2020. An undercover police officer joined an online chat room called "Pedcast Chat." A person calling themselves either "benshady69" or "B Shady," said they had "access" to two small children. The person then told the officer they had previously "played" with the children and planned on making a video with them, the FBI said.
The FBI launched an investigation into "benshady69" and determined the person behind the account was Whitcomb, the spokesperson said. Agents then discovered the "benshady69" account had distributed 14 videos and images of child sex abuse with other users online, the spokesperson added.
On Friday, agents searched Whitcomb's home in Cleveland. He was then taken into federal custody and has been formally charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography, the FBI said.
Longview doctor released on $1M bond after
child sexual assault arrest
Longview police arrested Dr. Matt Elza Hipke, 58, of Longview, at his place of employment on two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14-years-old.
Credit: Gregg County Judicial Records
Author: Reagan Roy, CBS19
Longview police arrested Dr. Matt Elza Hipke, 58, of Longview, at his place of employment on Friday on two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14-years-old.
On Monday, Aug. 10, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) temporarily suspended, without notice, Hipke's medical license after determining his continuation in the practice of medicine "poses a continuing threat to public welfare." The suspension was effective immediately. The board stated Hipke was being investigated in the sexual assault of three minor patients.
"A temporary suspension hearing with notice will be held as soon as practicable with 10 days' notice to Dr. Hipke, unless the hearing is specifically waived by Dr. Hipke," a statement from the TMB said.
Loco, Ok man sentenced for child sexual abuse
By Charlene Belew The Duncan Banner
Linda Provost/The Duncan Banner
A Stephens County Judge handed down a sentencing of 30 years with all but the first 20 suspended to a man who entered a guilty plea to child sexual abuse.
Skylar Jay Biby, 21, of Loco, received the sentence with Department of Corrections for a charge of child sexual abuse to a child under 12. Originally, Biby entered a plea of not guilty in August 2019. After his trial was delayed, Biby entered a plea of guilty in June 2020.
According to reports from the Duncan Police Department from the Stephens County Courthouse, the report came into DPD June 3, 2019. The reporting party indicated Biby sexually assaulted the minor victim while at a local apartment complex in May 2019.
Parents of the minor victim reported noticing Biby acting funny that day when they returned home but thought nothing of it at the time until the minor victim began describing it with “terms that seemed inappropriate” for the victim’s age.
Someone who knew Biby confirmed with the parents Biby allegedly admitted to touching the minor victim and was going to take Biby to the police station.
Around 5:15 p.m. June 3, 2019, Biby met with police for an interview which was recorded audibly and visibly after he waived his Miranda Rights.
Reports indicate during the interview Biby told police on at least two occasions he placed his hands on the minor victim inappropriately and made the victim touch him inappropriately also. Biby, according to reports, denied having intercourse with the victim.
Biby, at the conclusion of the interview, was given an opportunity to write the minor victim a letter. Inside the letter, Biby stated he was sorry for what he did and described it as “horrible,” reports state.
Upon completion of time served, Biby will also become subject of supervised probation and a note in sentencing documents shows the defendant is “to receive treatment.”
Currently, Biby faces four counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 in Grady County. The charges were filed in June 2019. Biby is due in court for a preliminary hearing conference at 9 a.m. Sept. 15, 2020.
Way to screw up your life. And he's only 21. Too bad for him he's not in university and the son of a politician; he might have gotten off scot-free.
Gainesville, Fla man arrested on child porn charges
Sarah Nelson
The Gainesville Sun
A Gainesville man accused of uploading and sharing child pornography was arrested Tuesday following an investigation police launched after receiving a cybertip.
According to Gainesville Police, the agency received a tip online from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that said photos and videos of child sexual abuse were being uploaded and shared through a Facebook platform.
Investigators tracked the account holder to Herron’s residence at 1901 NE 2nd St. GPD officials said the material was discovered on devices inside the home while detectives served their search warrant.
Herron, according to police, admitted to sharing and downloading the material and soliciting victims as young as 10 years old. He was booked in the Alachua County Jail Tuesday afternoon.
Former Leesburg, Va resident pleads guilty to searching for, downloading child sexual assault videos
Times-Mirror Staff
A former Leesburg resident has pleaded guilty to multiple counts related to downloaded images of child sexual abuse on the Internet.
Jason E. Holmes, 49, lived in Leesburg prior to moving to Martinsburg, West Virginia. Holmes admitted that from October 2016 to April 2018 he intentionally searched for, downloaded and occasionally paid for access to images and videos showing sexual abuse of children, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Holmes reportedly did so using the dark web, peer-to-peer software and password-protected websites on the open Internet.
Prosecutors said law enforcement discovered tens of thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children across 13 different electronic devices seized from Holmes's home, as well as evidence that Holmes used encryption technology on these devices. Additionally, during the search law enforcement recovered enlarged, printed-out images of child pornography that Holmes admitted to posting to foamboard cutouts and placing around his home, according to the Department of Justice.
Holmes pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to receipt of child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Oct. 27.
It was not immediately clear whether Holmes conducted the activities in Loudoun County or elsewhere. The Times-Mirror is waiting to hear back from authorities for clarification.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute people who exploit children via the Internet. More information can be found at justice.gov/psc.
Homeland Security Investigations encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or via ice.gov/tipline.
Leesburg, Va
Philly Feds Say Chicago Man Gets 22 Years for Nationwide Online Child Exploitation Ring
United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Marqueal Bonds, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to 22 years in prison and lifetime supervised release by United States District Court Judge Harvey Bartle, III, for multiple child exploitation offenses.
Bonds was also ordered to pay a total of $33,221 in restitution to various victims.
In March 2020, Bonds pleaded guilty in the middle of the trial to charges of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and conspiracy to advertise child pornography. Using Discord, an online communications application that allows users to share files and communicate via chat messages, Bonds and his co-conspirators connected in private chat rooms to discuss how to find children and exploit them to produce child pornography. Bonds and his co-conspirators would also share child pornography on Discord, which included sexual depictions of children as young as toddlers. After discovering evidence of child pornography on Discord’s servers, federal agents executed a search warrant at Bonds’ house, and the defendant confessed to his involvement in this enterprise.
“Bonds and others like him will be held accountable by my Office no matter which dark corners of the Internet they are lurking in,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Bonds and his co-conspirators trolled the Internet on legitimate sites like Snapchat, Periscope, and Live.me for vulnerable victims, tricked these children into believing they were chatting with boys or girls their own ages, and then obtained video and naked photos of them to share on Discord. Today’s lengthy sentence ensures that Bonds is out of business and serves as a warning to anybody who would consider exploiting children via the Internet.”
“Marqueal Bonds manipulated numerous underage girls into providing explicit images of themselves,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “He and his co-conspirators teamed up to sexually exploit children across the country and share the vile results. These are predators who harmed young girls without a second thought. Locking them up ensures they won’t be victimizing anyone else.”
For now!
Wasatch Front agencies take part in nationwide sex offender compliance operation
By Gephardt Daily Staff
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Nearly a dozen Wasatch front agencies, along with U.S. Marshals, recently completed a massive statewide sex offender compliance and enforcement operation called “Operation Reboot.”
In what is believed to be the largest sex offender operation in state history, 11 agencies from the Wasatch Front, as far as east the Uintah Basin, and down to Washington County and St. George, participated in the two-week operation, according to a news release.
The purpose of the operation was two-fold: to utilize the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team to remove violent fugitive sex offenders from Utah communities and to have state agencies conduct statewide sex offender compliance checks, to ensure Utahns, who are convicted sex offenders and who are required by law to register as sex offenders have done so.
“Utilizing resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, Operation Reboot sought to locate fugitive sex offenders and persons in violation of the Adam Walsh Act,” the news release said. “Passed by Congress in 2006, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act designated the U.S. Marshals Service as the lead federal agency to investigate violations of federal sex offender registration laws and to assist state, local, tribal and territorial jurisdictions. In conjunction with the act’s intent, Operation Reboot placed the highest priority on those who have committed violent acts and crimes against children.”
Starting on Aug. 3, throughout Utah, officers from the 11 different agencies hit the streets to conduct sex offender compliance checks in their communities, the news release said. Compliance checks are used to ensure sex offenders are living at their address of record with the state and to confirm offenders who are required by law to register have done so. Compliance checks often require in-depth investigative efforts or may simply be conducted by going “door to door.” During the operation, officers sought to check the registration status of nearly 1,000 of the state’s, 8,000 registered sex offenders.
“Officers found that nearly 20 percent of the offenders checked were non-compliant, meaning they did not meet their registration requirements under Utah law,” the news release said. “Officers identified non-compliant sex offenders in every county and city that participated in the operation. Examples of those offenders who failed to register include offenders who committed rape against children, parole fugitives, and offenders living in homes with children present. Thirty-three offenders are being screened for prosecution or were arrested during the compliance operation.”
During the same period, officers from the USMS VFAST and local agencies served state and federal warrants on fugitives wanted for committing sexual offenses, many against children. As a part of the investigation, the USMS and local officers arrested eight fugitives wanted for sex crimes. Examples include:
Scott Swift, 42, of Salt Lake City, who was wanted for a warrant related to an unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Alan Shepherd, 30, of West Jordan, for three counts of rape of a child.
Adam Liu, 45, of Salt Lake City, for failure to register as sex offender after being charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Rudolfo Jesus Trevino, 32, of Salt Lake City, for a parole violation after being charged and convicted of three counts of rape of a child and two counts of forcible sexual abuse and ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
These cases will be referred to the United States Attorney’s Office or local prosecutors in these local communities.
The operation officially ended on Aug. 14, but officers plan several hundred more checks in the coming weeks.
“A major priority of my office is to utilize our authority under the Adam Walsh Act to help protect those most vulnerable to sex offenders,” said District of Utah US Marshal Matthew D. Harris. “There is nothing more important than protecting our children and our community from child sex predators. An operation of this size and complexity is no easy task, but if it saves just one child or potential victim from a sex offender who has gone unchecked, it’s worth every dime we put into the operation.”
Uintah County Sheriff Steve Labrum added: “Before COVID-19, kids had School Resource Officers, teachers, counselors, and friends to lean on if abuse was occurring in the home. In our current times some kids are being exposed to unsupervised sex offenders. The purpose of the checks the U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement are conducting is to make sure sex offenders are living up to the requirements the court has mandated. The whole objective of the visits is to keep our children safe.”
The agencies that participated are Heber City PD, Park City PD, Provo PD, Salt Lake City PD, St. George PD, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, Vernal PD, Wasatch County Sheriffs Office, Washington County Sheriffs Office and West Jordan PD.
Columbus, Oh, Advocacy Worker Did Not Report
Child Rape
Robbie Watson, WLTZ
A detective with the Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Unit recounted in halting detail court testimony that is too disturbing for our television viewers. The young victim told investigators about years of repeated sexual abuse beginning when she was five years old allegedly at the hands of Bobby Valois, described as a father figure who molested the girl at three different homes including that of Alma Torres where the family lived for a year according to testimony.
Torres worked for the Russell County Child Advocacy Center but the victim told counselors no one would listen to her, not her mother or Alma Torres, the mother of Bobby Valois. A detective told the judge the mother of the child who was in a relationship with Valois later said she was scared to come forward.
The attorney for Bobby Valois suggested the child made up the allegations after the relationship ended with the child’s mother. “It’s problematic and especially when there is absolutely no corroborating evidence whatsoever but the word and it’s so easy to say something,” Valois’ attorney Mark Shelnutt told First News after the hearing.
The Russell County Child Advocacy Center released a statement announcing Alma Torres was promptly fired from her position and that the agency “will not stand by and knowingly allow abuse to happen at the hands of someone affiliated with the organization.”
Torres was released on bond for Failure to Report and appeared in court to support her son. Outside the courtroom she was pressed about why she declined to report the allegations about her son. Torres essentially told me to buzz off that her son would have “his day in court”.
Unbelievable!
Pawleys Island, S.C. home raided,
man charged in child porn investigation
by Elizabeth Thomas
ABC15 News
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A Pawleys Island man was arrested Tuesday in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant at a home in Heritage Plantation Monday, where Warren Spencer Perry, 64, was taken into custody.
Perry is charged with third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Investigators seized several computers, digital storage devices and other electronics from the home.
Perry is held in the Georgetown County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.
The investigation is ongoing.
Son arrested on child sex abuse charges 3 days after Springfield, Ore mayor's resignation
by News Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Springfield Mayor Christine Lundberg resigned Saturday, effective immediately.
On Tuesday, Springfield Police arrested her son and booked him into the Lane County Jail on 10 counts of felony first degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse.
Police booked Benjamin Daniel Lundberg, 39, just after 10 a.m.
According to Springfield Police:
Lundberg’s arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation into child pornography involving the Springfield Police, the Eugene Police as well as other jurisdictions within the State, including ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children).
On August 13, 2020 a Search Warrant was served at a residence in West Springfield that resulted in the seizure of numerous digital devices possessed by Benjamin Lundberg. A forensic examination of a portion of the seized devices revealed evidence of the above listed crimes.
Man sought dark web hitman
to murder child victim of sexual abuse
by Waqas
The dark web hitman for hire website turned out to be a scam.
John Michael Musbach of Haddonfield, Camden Country, New Jersey, the key suspect in several child-sexual abuse offenses, was arrested by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO).
According to the U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, the 31-year-old Musbach paid $20,000 in Bitcoin for hiring a hitman to murder his child victim. He is charged for one count of murder-for-hire by the authorities.
Reportedly, Musbach lived in Atlantic County when an investigation against him was initiated in 2015. He was suspected of trading sexually explicit child abuse videos and photographs, which featured a 13-year old boy.
In March 2016, the ACPO arrested Musbach for the first time after searching his residence in Galloway, New Jersey. It is worth noting that the victim’s parents discovered that he was interacting with their son through an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) website.
Both exchanged sexually explicit videos and images. Upon searching his residence, officers seized one cell phone and his laptop. In 2017, the accused pleaded guilty to intentionally putting a child’s welfare in danger through forceful sexual misconduct. At the time, Musbach received a two-year suspended sentence, including lifetime supervision.
Seriously, no jail time? Good grief!
Five weeks later, authorities learned about Musbach seeking to hire a hitman or a gun on the Dark Web. Authorities were tipped about his alleged communication with a murder-for-hire website operating on the Dark Web.
He sought services of a “professional hitman,” and offered to pay in Bitcoin. An informer contacted the St. Paul, Minnesota-based Homeland Security Investigations agents and alerted them about Musbach’s intention of hiring a hitman.
Further probe revealed that the Dark Web website offered hitmen services to perform contract-based acts of violence or killings on the client’s behalf. The accused used the alias Agentisai to reach out to the website on May 7, 2016 and asked for obtaining ammunition and a handgun.
The next day, according to chat transcript seen by Hackread.com in court documents [PDF], Musbach wrote that instead of ordering a gun, he would like to place a “hit order.” He further wrote that the target would be a minor.
“However, the target would be 14. Is that an acceptable age or too young? I can budget up to $20k for the order,” Musbach wrote.
The website responded by accepting the orders and stated that they would charge $18,500 for their services.
“Yes, 14 years old is acceptable. We have gang members to do the hit; however, the price is about $18,500.”
The accused transferred the amount to the murder-for-hire services in two deposits of $10,000, citing that he could not transfer more than $10,000 in one attempt. He then messaged the site’s admin asking him when they will do their job.
The site admin informed Musbach that the assigned hitman was arrested, and a new hitman was hired who demanded $5,000 more. Musbach refused and asked for refunding his $20,000. At that point, the admin revealed that the site didn’t offer any such services, and it was a scam. They even threatened to inform the law enforcement if Musbach pressed for a refund.
By that time, the agents had already verified Musbach’s identity as he used the same screen name to contact the website and to purchase Bitcoins to pay for the service.
Musbach is not only charged with conspiring to endanger a child’s life but also using interstate commerce services for hiring a hitman, for which he may receive a fine of $250,000 or twice the losses incurred to the victim, and a maximum of 10 years in jail.
The accused appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams via videoconference.
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