Latest news with #ProjectSafeChildhood
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Carthage man pleads guilty to recording juvenile
A Carthage man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child. Uriah Behl, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of sexual exploitation of children. By pleading guilty, Behl admitted to secretly recording a naked juvenile in the shower. The investigation began in February 2024 when the Jasper County sheriff's office received a call reporting that a cellphone camera had been found in a community shower room on the grounds of the Tarzan Zerbini Circus, south of Carthage. Investigators said there were recordings on the camera of seven women and a juvenile while they were taking showers. The phone was found in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. It was recording through a crack in the open cabinet door. Authorities said Behl admitted to investigators that he had set the phone up to record the whole room, including the shower, when motion was detected. Behl claimed that he did not intend to record the juvenile victim. Behl gave officers consent to search the phone he was using to record and the cellphone he used for calls and texting. A forensic search of the phones found over an hour of videos from the shower room, several clips from videos containing the naked juvenile victim, multiple searches for child pornography, as well as 161 images depicting child pornography downloaded from the internet. Under federal statutes, Behl is subject to a sentence of at least 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, according to the U.S. attorney's office. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Behl will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life. 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, according to federal officials.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Albany man, 54, charged with posing as teen to obtain child sexual abuse images
A 54-year-old Albany man has been charged with posing online as a teenager to obtain sexually explicit images from a 16-year-old girl, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Brian Hargraves was arrested last week and indicted on charges of possession of and access with intent to view child sexual abuse images. He appeared in federal court May 21. According to court documents, law enforcement searched Hargraves's mobile phones April 29 following a complaint. Investigators found sexually explicit images and videos of the minor on one of the devices. Prosecutors allege Hargraves met the victim online, told her he was a teenage boy and asked her to create and send him explicit videos and images of herself. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines and statutes will determine any sentence if Hargraves is convicted. The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Carroll County Sheriff's Department and Conway Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo is prosecuting the case. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Hargraves is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
India Today
22-05-2025
- India Today
Indian charged with possessing, transporting child pornography in US
An Indian has been charged with possession and transportation of child pornography in New Orleans in the US. Ashish Kapoor alias Romy Kapoor held digital videos and computer images which contained pictures of children with sexually explicit conduct, according to the statement issued by the US Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, on May 21. All the children were below the age of 28-year-old was named in a new indictment filed on May 8. According to the superseding indictment, in February 2024, Kapoor transported a cellular phone containing digital videos and images depicting explicit convicted of possessing child pornography, Kapoor could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 (approximately Rs 2.08 crore), supervised release for the rest of his life, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Acting US Attorney Michael M Simpson reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, the statement 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 better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man sentenced for Cumberland County bomb threat hoaxes after online relationship with minor
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A man has been sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for making hoax bomb threats in Cumberland County, and distributing child porn in retaliation against a minor he met on the popular gaming platform Roblox. According to the United States Department of Justice, Nathaniel Sean DeLeon, 20, of Tulare, California, was sentenced to 78 months' imprisonment for distributing child pornography and making a bomb threat hoax in connection with a campaign of retaliation against a Cumberland County minor in 2023. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The DOJ says DeLeon met a then-16-year-old on the gaming platform Roblox and began an online relationship. Upon the relationship's end, the DOJ says DeLeon proceeded to 'swat' the minor victim 23 times. DeLeon told law enforcement that the victim had a gun and killed, or was about to kill, another person and repeatedly sent them to the victim's house in Cumberland County from June to November of 2023. In addition, on November 30, 2023, DeLeon, falsely identifying himself as the minor victim, told a suicide prevention worker via an internet messaging platform that the minor had placed pipe bombs in the classrooms and bathrooms of Big Spring High School in Cumberland County and was outside the school with a shotgun. The DOJ says 650 students were evacuated, but no explosive devices were found inside the school. DeLeon also distributed a sexually explicit video of a minor victim on two occasions inNovember 2023, per the DOJ. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Adams Center man facing child pornography charges
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WWTI) – A 54-year-old Adams Center man is facing child pornography charges after appearing in federal court last week. According to the United States Attorney's Office, James Yerdon was charged with possession of child pornography. The complaint filed against Yerdon alleges that on May 13, during an ongoing investigation by the New York State Police and HSI regarding allegations, that he had engaged in the hands-on sexual abuse of a child. A search was then conducted of Yerdon's home The subsequent search allegedly found that Yerdon in possession of a cellphone that possessed multiple images and videos of child pornography. Some of these allegedly include material depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as five months old. The U.S. Attorney's Office states that charges in the complaint are merely accusations. Yerdon is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. We thank HSI and the NYSP for their dedication and tireless work on this investigation. The defendant's actions, as alleged, targeted infants and children, the most vulnerable amongst us. I will not stand for it. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III The case was investigated by HSI and NYSP and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood. The charge filed against Yerdon carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release between five years and life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
