17 Arrested in Undercover Child Predator Operation,
Including 3 Disney Employees
BY MIMI NGUYEN LY
August 4, 2021
Undercover detectives in central Florida arrested 17 people—among whom were three employees of Walt Disney World—over charges related to the targeting of children online for unlawful sexual activity, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday.
The six-day long undercover operation dubbed “Operation Child Protector” took place July 27 through Aug. 1, during which law enforcement officers posed as children on social media platforms, mobile apps, and online dating sites, to investigate potential predators who prey upon children for unlawful sexual activity.
A total of 17 people were arrested, representing 49 felony and two misdemeanor charges altogether. The suspects’ ages ranged from 26 to 47. They were mostly from the central Florida area, except one who was visiting from California.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Grady Judd, the sheriff of Polk County, described the suspects as “incredible deviants,” “dangerous,” and “nasty nasty nasty people.”
A release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that the suspects showed up to an undercover location in the county at separate times to meet who they thought would be children. Six of the suspects brought condoms, and nine of the suspects have criminal histories that amounted to 27 previous felonies and 22 previous misdemeanors in total.
“Some of [the suspects] transmitted pornographic images while grooming and soliciting the children online, and they were appropriately charged for that as well,” according to the release.
Three of the suspects were employees at Walt Disney World.
Judd told reporters that two suspects, Savannah Lawrence, 29, and Jonathan McGrew, 34, worked as custodians at Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios. They spoke to an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old girl online and told the “girl” they wanted to engage in sexual activity together. McGrew even went further and described to the “girl” various role-playing scenarios they could enact, Judd told reporters.
Another Disney employee, 26-year-old Kenneth Aquino, was arrested at the undercover location when he went there in his work clothes, Judd said. Aquino worked as a lifeguard at Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge and had left his pregnant girlfriend to engage in sexual activity with what he thought was a 13-year-old child, the sheriff added.
Aquino “was working toward a dive team or a SEAL team or some kind of special ops job,” Judd said. “They did a background check on him and found he had friends or affiliates that were gang members, and they tossed him.”
Judd noted that one of the male suspects was HIV-positive but due to the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), he could not identify the person.
“Did you hear what I’m telling you? He’s HIV positive. He showed up to have unprotected sex with what he thought was a child … with a little girl. Fortunately, our detectives were there instead of a 13-year-old child,” Judd said.
The Auburndale, Orlando, and Winter Haven police departments and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office participated in the operation. Judd praised the officers involved in the operation as “the very best.”
“They’re skilled in ‘talking’ as if they’re 13- and 14-year-old children, and they worked around the clock for a week in order to arrest 17 people,” he said.
Judd told reporters that in relaying news of the arrests, he and other officers “can’t even use the words [the suspects] used … We obviously can’t show you the pictures and the video clips that they sent to what they thought were 13-year-old little girls and little boys.”
The charges dealt to the suspects include traveling to meet a minor for sex, attempted lewd battery, use of a computer to seduce a child, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and transmission of material harmful to a child.
The details of each individual and their charges are listed on the Polk County Sheriff’s Office website.
Polk Co., Fla
I'm astonished that none of the big-name American news sites seem to be carrying this story. One wonders if it's child sex abuse that is unimportant to them, or the questions about security, or both?
US iPhones will be scanned for images of child sexual abuse by Apple
Barbara Ortutay and Frank Bajak
11:10, Aug 06 2021
Apple has unveiled plans to scan US iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused by governments looking to surveil their citizens.
Apple said its messaging app will use on-device machine learning to warn about sensitive content without making private communications readable by the company.
The tool Apple calls “neuralMatch” will detect known images of child sexual abuse without decrypting people's messages. If it finds a match, the image will be reviewed by a human who can notify law enforcement if necessary.
But researchers say the tool could be put to other purposes such as government surveillance of dissidents or protesters.
Matthew Green of Johns Hopkins, a top cryptography researcher, was concerned that it could be used to frame innocent people by sending them harmless but malicious images designed to appear as matches for sexual images of child, fooling Apple’s algorithm and alerting law enforcement - essentially framing people. “Researchers have been able to do this pretty easily,” he said.
Tech companies including Microsoft, Google, Facebook and others have for years been sharing “hash lists" of known images of child sexual abuse. Apple has also been scanning user files stored in its iCloud service, which is not as securely encrypted as its messages, for such images.
Some say this technology could leave the company vulnerable to political pressure in authoritarian states such as China. “What happens when the Chinese government says, ‘Here is a list of files that we want you to scan for,’" Green said. "Does Apple say no? I hope they say no, but their technology won’t say no.”
The company has been under pressure from governments and law enforcement to allow for surveillance of encrypted data. Coming up with the security measures required Apple to perform a delicate balancing act between cracking down on the exploitation of children while keeping its high-profile commitment to protecting the privacy of its users.
BUDRUL CHUKRUT/GETTY IMAGES
Apple believes it pulled off that feat with technology that it developed in consultation with several prominent cryptographers, including Stanford University professor Dan Boneh, whose work in the field has won a Turing Award, often called technology’s version of the Nobel Prize.
The computer scientist who more than a decade ago invented PhotoDNA, the technology used by law enforcement to identify images of child abuse pornography online, acknowledged the potential for abuse of Apple's system but said it was far outweighed by the imperative of battling child sexual abuse.
“It possible? Of course. But is it something that I’m concerned about? No,” said Hany Farid, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, who argues that plenty of other programmes designed to secure devices from various threats haven't seen “this type of mission creep.”
For example, WhatsApp provides users with end-to-end encryption to protect their privacy, but employs a system for detecting malware and warning users not to click on harmful links.
Apple was one of the first major companies to embrace “end-to-end” encryption, in which messages are scrambled so that only their senders and recipients can read them. Law enforcement, however, has long pressured for access to that information in order to investigate crimes such as terrorism or child sexual exploitation.
“Apple’s expanded protection for children is a game changer," John Clark, the president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said in a statement. "With so many people using Apple products, these new safety measures have lifesaving potential for children who are being enticed online and whose horrific images are being circulated in child sexual abuse material.”
Julia Cordua, the CEO of Thorn, said that Apple's technology balances “the need for privacy with digital safety for children." Thorn, a nonprofit founded by actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, uses technology to help protect children from sexual abuse by identifying victims and working with tech platforms.
Sheriff: Suspect charged with sex abuse of minor was involved
in youth organizations
WBAL Updated: 6:15 PM EDT Aug 5, 2021
Lowell Melser
News Reporter, Meteorologist
WESTMINSTER, Md. —
Authorities arrested a Baltimore County man on Wednesday on child sexual abuse charges.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office said a victim came forward to authorities in January to report he had been the victim of sexual abuse from 2010 through 2012. The boy was 13 when the alleged abuse began and is now an adult, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said authorities believe the abuse occurred between 150 to 200 separate times at several locations in Baltimore and Carroll counties.
"There is supporting evidence, aside from victim statements, that support the case," Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees said.
According to charging documents, the victim and suspect met while Bonczewski was an assistant coach for the North Carroll Titans recreational team. The victim had suffered an injury and Bonczewski helped him with his rehabilitation, which ultimately led to a number of alleged sexual abuse encounters, authorities said.
The sheriff said while there is one known victim, investigators feel there may be more victims in two states.
"If you had contact with him, (it) would be wise for you to speak with your children. And if you're an adult survivor and you have something that you want to expose to us, we're open and ready with full disclosure," DeWees said.
The sheriff said Bonczewski was involved with a number of youth organizations, and the following list is an approximate timeline of organizations Bonczewski has associated with, based on what has been uncovered up to this point of the investigation:
2004 to the present: Hereford Volunteer Fire Department in Baltimore County
2007 to 2008: volunteer football coach at Hereford Middle School in Baltimore County
2007 to 2009: volunteer for the Hereford Recreational Football League in Baltimore County
2008 to 2009: applied for paid staffing for Hereford High School Football in Baltimore County, which he accepted but left employment prior to season
2009 to 2010: volunteer assistant football coach at North Carroll Recreational League in Carroll County
2011 to 2012: assistant coach for the Manchester Valley High School Football Program in Carroll County
2011 to 2012: assistant coach for the York County School of Technology Football Program in York, Pennsylvania
2014 to 2015: volunteer staff at Chesapeake Rock Lacrosse Club in Baltimore County
2016 to 2017: volunteer staff at Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Baltimore County
2017 to 2017: volunteer staff at Hamilton Football League in Baltimore County
2019 to 2019: employed in a landscaping position at The Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore City
Anyone who believes that they or their child may have been a victim at a location in Carroll County is asked to call the tip line at 443-373-1684 or email Detective McMillion at mmcmillion@carrollcountymd.gov.
For any related incident that may have occurred in Baltimore County, call Detective Kuhns at 410-853-3650.
The head of school at the Bryn Mawr School, Sue Sadler, sent a letter to the school's community, saying: "We've learned today that a former Bryn Mawr employee, Michael Bonczewski, has been criminally charged with child sexual assault and pornography related to his employment in Carroll County in between 2010-2012. Mr. Bonczewski was employed at The Bryn Mawr School from January through October of 2019 as a member of the grounds and maintenance department. He was terminated in October 2019, but not due to any inappropriate behavior related to students. He did not work directly with students at any time during his employment at Bryn Mawr.
"While we have no indication that Mr. Bonczewski had any inappropriate interactions with students while employed at Bryn Mawr, the school will retain an experienced, independent investigator to receive any reports regarding Mr. Bonczewski and conduct a follow up investigation if necessary. We will be in touch in coming days with more information on how to contact the third-party investigator directly. In the meantime, if you have any reports or information to share regarding Mr. Bonczewski, please contact the Carroll County Sheriff's Office at 443-373-1684.
"The safety and wellbeing of students is Bryn Mawr's highest priority and we encourage students and adults to report any situations of inappropriate conduct. The school is cooperating fully with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office investigation in every way possible. Please look for a follow-up communication in the coming days."
Patch Elementary School teacher arrested on child sex abuse
charges during US visit
BY JOHN VANDIVER•
STARS AND STRIPES •
AUGUST 5, 2021
STUTTGART, Germany— A Patch Elementary School teacher is facing charges stemming from child sexual abuse allegations spanning four years, according to Georgia court records.
Stefan Eberhard Zappey has been employed at Patch since 2001 as a teacher of German language courses, according to a newly released complaint in U.S. district court in Georgia.
Zappey, who was arrested this week while on vacation in the U.S., is being held at a federal detention center in Lovejoy, Ga., The Associated Press reported.
The case against Zappey was initiated in March after a former student of his told a Patch teacher about the abuse she said she experienced between 2007 and 2008.
Investigators with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division interviewed the victim, who was in third grade when she says that Zappey called her to his desk during class and repeatedly fondled her, court records stated. She was 8 years old at the time.
Army investigators then interviewed numerous other students and teachers, who said they had witnessed Zappey being inappropriate with students.
Two faculty members witnessed “multiple occasions where Zappey hugged students at ‘crotch level,’” court records said.
Another faculty member said that he had known Zappey for eight years and that Zappey “would train students to become ‘really touchy feely,’” court records showed.
The court documents do not indicate whether any faculty members had raised concerns to school officials about Zappey’s alleged misconduct.
Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Thursday.
“I have witnessed on several occasions what I deem as inappropriate touching of students by Mr. Zappey,” one faculty member is quoted in court documents as saying. “Examples of this touching is running his fingers through girls [sic] hair, sitting students on his lap, hugging students based on the placement of their faces as they are hugged, picking up students when they run up to him and letting them wrap their legs around him, and just being over touchy-feely with students.”
Another former student told investigators that between 2008 and 2010, Zappey would call her up to his desk, “put her on his lap, put his hand inside her pants, and touch her genitals with his finger on multiple occasions.”
The student was 7 years old when the alleged abuse began. She said she began reporting to the school nurse in third grade that she had stomachaches to avoid Zappey’s class, court records stated.
Zappey was arrested after investigators tracked him down in Georgia, where his daughter resides, court records stated.
Zappey became a citizen of the United States through naturalization in 2000, according to court documents.
Patch El School, Ga
Former Lorena pre-K teacher indicted in child sex abuse cases
Tommy Witherspoon
3 hrs ago
A former teacher at Lorena Primary School was indicted Thursday on multiple counts charging him with sexually abusing two young girls, including while they were trying to take naps in his classroom.
Crenshaw, who remains jailed under bonds totaling $210,000, was fired from his job as a long-term substitute teacher after his initial arrest May 14, Lorena Police Chief Tom Dickson said. He bonded out after the May arrest, but was arrested again June 18 in Harris County after additional charges were filed against him, according to county records.
He had worked at the Lorena school since August 2020 and has worked at no other schools, Dickson said.
According to arrest warrant affidavits filed by Dickson, Crenshaw admitted he sexually abused a 5-year-old girl and a 4-year-old girl in his pre-K classroom.
Crenshaw's attorney, Melanie Walker, declined comment on the indictment Thursday.
Lorena Superintendent Joe Kucera said school officials were made aware of the incident May 8.
"The substitute teacher was not allowed to return to campus and was terminated," Kucera said in a statement. "The District has fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to cooperate throughout the legal process. The safety and security of our students remains our highest priority in Lorena ISD."
The 4-year-old girl's father reported to Lorena police that his family was eating dinner May 7 when his daughter, "without provocation," said, "Mr. Nic put his hand down my panties," according to an affidavit for search warrants to obtain Crenshaw's cellphone and portable tablet.
The girl said Crenshaw came to her mat during nap time and started to pat her on the back to help her go to sleep. That was when he put his hand down her panties, according to the affidavit.
The girl told him, "you just put your hand down in my panties," the affidavit states. Crenshaw "just turned his head to the side," which she demonstrated to her father.
The same affidavit alleges Crenshaw was photographed lying on the floor with a pre-K student "crawling and laying on top of him." That incident was reported to school officials, the affidavit states.
Crenshaw admitted he touched the girl's genitals, the search warrant affidavit alleges.
A 5-year-old student told a forensic interviewer Crenshaw penetrated her with his finger, according to arrest warrant affidavits. Crenshaw acknowledged he had the 5-year-old sit on his lap and that the contact caused him to become sexually aroused, an affidavit states.
The 5-year-old also reported Crenshaw caused the girl's hand to contact his genitals during nap time.
Six of the charges against Crenshaw carry minimum punishments of 25 years in prison without parole, with maximum penalties of life without parole. The indecency count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Homosassa Man Pleads Guilty, Possessing Child Sex Abuse
Images And Videos
Mike Jenkins
August 5, 2021
CITRUS COUNTY, FL. – A Homosassa man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Burr faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to, 20 years in federal prison, as well as a potential life term of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, federal agents executed a search warrant at Burr’s residence on October 28, 2020. During the search, agents seized a cellular phone used by Burr containing dozens of videos and hundreds of images depicting children being sexually abused.
Burr was previously convicted in Grand Traverse, Michigan of possessing child sexual abuse material on October 8, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
This 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Cornelius man accused of rape, child sex abuse
Darby Martin worked at the Dairy Queen near Manning
by: KOIN 6 News Staff
Posted: Aug 4, 2021 / 07:55 PM PDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A months-long investigation led to the arrest of a Cornelius man on rape and child sex abuse charges as authorities believe there may be more victims.
He was arrested Wednesday by detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit.
Over two months, investigators said they identified two victims who are minors and “are aware of one additional juvenile victim.”
The case continues and anyone with information is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503.846.2700.
Dietrich woman facing child sex abuse charges
By Brittany Cooper
Published: Aug. 3, 2021 at 9:52 AM PDT
REXBURG, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Breanna Havelange, 23, of Dietrich is facing four felony charges in Madison County for allegedly having sexual relations with minors.
She has been charged with two counts of child sexual abuse by soliciting a minor under 16 years of age to participate and another two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16.
Havelange was arraigned last Thursday and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 11 at 1:30 p.m. in front of Judge David Hunt.
We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
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