Counter Pedophilia Investigate Unit

As one ICE agent said: “The exploitation of innocent children for the purpose of entertainment is wrong and we will not tolerate it,” CPIU will continue its help to bring to justice purveyors and partakers of child pornography.

In behalf of the directory I thank you all for helping part of this, for your support, dedication and performance.

You have identified with the organization’s defined objective and pursued them purposefully at all times, and for this we are very thankful to you!

Wishing you only the best for 2009!

WASHINGTON, D.C. – John Wrenshall, 62, was arrested today at Heathrow Airport on charges of conspiring to travel in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children; aiding and abetting sex tourism; and conspiracy to produce, production of, and distribution of child pornography.

Wrenshall, a Canadian citizen living in Thailand, was arrested at London’s Heathrow International Airport early this morning by London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MET) with agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A provisional arrest warrant had been issued for Wrenshall through coordination with British officials, MET, ICE and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. Wrenshall is being detained pending extradition from the United Kingdom.

“ICE investigates sex tourism aggressively with the help of our international offices and law enforcement partners,” said Matthew J. Etre, acting special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Newark, NJ. “This case demonstrates our international resolve to ensure that those who prey on our children do not go unpunished.” (more…)

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish police said on Monday they had arrested 40 people in raids across the country to break up a file-sharing child pornography network.

The Civil Guard said in a statement that officers had conducted searches in 51 towns, confiscating computers containing 1,350 gigabytes of child pornography, as well as 25,000 photographs and 9,000 videos.

One of those arrested is suspected of distributing and posting pedophile images on the Internet. Another 35 people have been charged with forming part of the network.

The investigation began in February, after a computer user reported that he had accidentally accessed a network sharing pornographic photographs.

This was the biggest operation of its type in Spain since police swooped on 121 suspects in a child pornography raid on October 1.

(Reporting by Elena Massa; Writing by Martin Roberts; Editing by Charles Dick)

DENVER – A man from San Diego, Calif., was sentenced Monday to more than 11 years in federal prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Troy Eid, District of Colorado, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Copp.

Georges Najjar, 33, was charged by Criminal Complaint on March 17, and indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on April 8. He pleaded guilty before then Chief U.S. District Court Judge Edward W. Nottingham on July 29.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock sentenced Najjar to serve 135 months in prison on Nov. 24. Najjar was also ordered to spend five years on supervised release, and must register as a sex offender. Judge Babcock ordered Najjar, a national of Beirut, Lebanon, to be taken into custody immediately to begin serving his prison sentence. After he completes his prison sentence, ICE will place Najjar into deportation proceedings.

According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on Jan. 29 an ICE special agent, acting in an undercover capacity, was on line in an Internet Relay Chatroom, where she observed an internet post made by an unknown male. The post stated that the man was interested in “sponsoring” a mother and her children. The ICE agent posed as a 27-year old single mother of two with a 4-year old girl and a 5-year old boy. The male, later identified as Najjar, chatted via the internet and talked on the phone with the undercover agent many times. During those chats and calls, Najjar stated that he was looking for a physical relationship with the woman as well as her children. Najjar further stated that he was in training to be a school teacher. (more…)