Counter Pedophilia Investigate Unit

N.J. actor, children’s entertainer, was known for playing Santa Claus

Wayne Nelson Corliss was arrested in May 2008, two days after Interpol took the rare step of asking for the public’s help in identifying a man shown in pornographic images. Hundreds of leads flooded in and eventually led to Corliss’ arrest at his home in Union City, N.J.     NEWARK, N.J. – A small-time actor and former children’s entertainer who was known for playing Santa Claus was sentenced Monday to nearly 20 years in prison for his role in an international sex tourism ring that preyed on young children. Wayne Nelson Corliss, whose 2008 arrest was the culmination of an international manhunt, had admitted traveling to Thailand three times between 2000 and 2002 to have sex with at least two boys, ages 6 and 9. He pleaded guilty last October to five counts that included distribution and possession of child pornography and traveling to foreign countries to engage in illegal sexual activity. (more…)

Officials say images of younger children becoming more pervasive

BARTOW, Fla. – When a single Florida county arrested 45 men and boys from all walks of life last June on charges of downloading child pornography, some people worried the place had become a haven for deviants.

But top law enforcement officials and child welfare experts say the only thing unusual about Polk County is that its sheriff, Grady Judd, happens to pursue child-porn enthusiasts with more fervor and resources than most.

Child porn has grown so pervasive on the Internet, they say, that police agencies all over the country, using the latest file-tracking technology, could easily spend every day finding and arresting offenders

 “Today, it’s truly like shooting fish in a barrel,” said Judd, who has directed four child pornography roundups since 2006, resulting in at least 176 arrests in Polk County, a patchwork of orange groves, phosphate mines, modest towns and a half-million people between Tampa and Orlando. The biggest city is Lakeland, population 90,000.

Mike Phillips, chief of the computer crimes section at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said Polk’s sheer number of child pornography arrests in recent years is almost unheard of nationally for a single agency.

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A West Australian man accused of possessing more than 700 child pornography images has been described as ‘a bit of a sick puppy’ during an appearance in Perth Magistrate’s Court.

Bradley Pen Dragon, 49, is alleged to have stored the images on computer thumb drives.

Today, Pen Dragon appeared in court on charges of possessing child pornography.

In applying for bail, his lawyer told the court her client was innocent until proven guilty, and if he was remanded in custody it would limit him moving forward in his life.

But the police prosecutor opposed his released, describing Pen Dragon as ‘a bit of a sick puppy’ who had two prior recent convictions for possessing child pornography.

Magistrate Steven Malley said the nature of the offences combined with Pen Dragon’s record indicated he posed a serious risk to the community.

He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again next month.