Latest news with #childexploitation
ABC News
5 days ago
- ABC News
WA man who shared child pornography on encrypted app gets time served
A registered sex offender who pleaded guilty to distributing sexually explicit photos and a video of children has avoided a hefty jail sentence after his sentence was backdated to time served. David William Crossley, 52, appeared before the District Court in Albany on Monday on one count of distributing child exploitation materials, including photos and a video of children all under the age of 13. Prosecutor Gary Huggins told the court the images were shared online between Crossley and another man after the two connected on an online buy-and-sell website. Mr Huggins said after responding to an advertisement on the trading site, the two men briefly discussed their interest in young children before switching to the encrypted chat application Signal. In one exchange between the two men, the chat read: Do you have any pics to share? How young do you like them? Six, you? Same, maybe four. A number of images were shared between the two men, including a photo of a girl believed to be three and a graphic video of a four-year-old girl. Crossley, who faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, was given a 10-month jail term, backdated to reflect time served since his arrest last year. A psychological report presented to the court indicated Crossley suffered from depression and anxiety and had himself been sexually assaulted by an unknown man when he was about 11 years old. In a letter to the court, Crossley, who had previously been convicted of offences relating to child exploitation in 2016 and 2021, expressed remorse and shame for his part in sharing the images. In sentencing, Judge Charlotte Wallace described Crossley's actions as serving a "selfish sexual gratification" that propagated the likelihood of further child abuse. "It feeds the demand — the material for children is therefore exported and used to meet that demand. "Even though you are not physically directly abusing these children, they are being abused to feed the demand." Crossley's defence lawyer Bruno Illari told the court his client expected to go to jail, but asked Judge Wallace to make the sentence as short as appropriate. "He pleaded guilty early," Mr Illari said. "He accepts the facts as they have been read out, he doesn't dispute that. Judge Wallace said the psychological report, letters of support and Crossley's own letter to the court were all mitigating factors, but that her sentence needed to deter others. "Sometimes people write letters because they are motivated by their own self-interests; they want the court to be gentler in sentencing," she said. "I didn't get that sense from your letter, I felt that it was very candid, I thought it was very open and transparent, I think you did take full accountability. "We have to send a message to other people in the community that serious consequences will flow from offending of this nature." Crossley is due to before Albany Magistrates Court on August 14 on three charges of failing to comply with his reporting obligations, having already pleaded guilty to the charges.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about City Commissioner James Taylor, his arrest, Fort Pierce city reaction
FORT PIERCE — City Commissioner James Taylor was arrested July 24 by the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office on 24 felony charges related to a months-long multi-state child-exploitation investigation. Here's everything you need to know about Taylor, the arrest and the response from the city of Fort Pierce: What is Taylor being charged with? According to a Sheriff's Office news release, Taylor faces: Six counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors by electronic equipment Six counts of transfer or display of obscenity to a minor Six counts of harmful communication to a minor and lewd computer solicitation Four counts of lewd computer solicitation of a child Two counts of solicitation of transmission of child pornography by electronic device or equipment When did the investigation begin? Investigations began in the midst of Taylor's campaign for election to the City Commission, according to the SLCSO news release. According to the news release, an unnamed police department in Illinois, which had been investigating a report from the mother of a then-13-year-old girl since August 2024, contacted SLCSO in May. On July 24, SLCSO executed search warrants at two locations that led to Taylor's arrest. Taylor was arrested during a traffic stop, Sheriff Richard Del Toro said at a news conference. According to the news release, the girl is now 14, and is believed to have been 12 at the time the alleged relationship with Taylor began. When was James Taylor elected? Taylor was elected to the Fort Pierce City Commission in 2024, receiving nearly 62% of the vote and defeating opponent John Heaning. During his short time on the commission, Taylor has at times been a decisive swing vote, including in the decision to hire an outsider, Richard Chess, as city manager, rather than elevating City Clerk Linda Cox. The commission was split 2-2 on that decision, with Taylor eventually changing his vote from a third candidate to Chess. Taylor also led the successful push to oust former Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney. The search for her replacement is continuing. Prior to his election, Taylor served nine years on the St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission, including two years as its chair. He serves on multiple local boards, including the St. Lucie County Education Foundation. Is James Taylor married? Taylor is married. Taylor and his wife, a former U.S. Forest Service staffer whose firing by the Department of Government Efficiency in February was reported by TCPalm, publicly announced July 4 that the couple was expecting the birth of their first child in January. Taylor comes from a law enforcement family: His sister is the public affairs manager for the Fort Pierce Police Department, and his brother-in-law is a deputy with the the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, the agency that arrested him. What are Fort Pierce officials saying about the arrest? In a statement released July 24, Kaitlyn Ballard, city marketing and communications manager, said Fort Pierce is aware of Taylor's arrest. "We understand that this development may raise concerns within our community, and we want to reassure our residents that we remain committed to serving the public with integrity, transparency, and accountability," Ballard wrote. City functions will continue uninterrupted, Ballard added. In a July 24 phone call, City Commissioner Michael Broderick said he and his fellow commissioners are waiting for more information. "It's a very unfortunate set of circumstances. It's very unfortunate for the families involved. It's very unfortunate for the city of Fort Pierce," Broderick said. "We need to wait for the process to play itself out to find out all of the facts.' More: City Commissioner arrested after alleged inappropriate relationship with teen girl More: Lengthy document sheds light on reasons for arrest of Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms Mayor Linda Hudson, Commissioners Arnold Gaines and Curtis Johnson and City Manager Richard Chess did not respond to requests to comment. Ballard said the city would have no additional comment. Can James Taylor be removed from the City Commission? City commissioners cannot remove one of their own. However, the governor does have the power to suspend local elected officials. The governor's communications office did not respond to requests to comment. Another Fort Pierce arrest? Taylor is the second high-level Fort Pierce official to be arrested within the last year. Longtime City Manager Nick Mimms, whom Cox replaced on an acting basis before Chess' hiring, was arrested Aug. 14, 2024, on charges of bid rigging and official misconduct related to leading a bid process that ultimately was won by a nonprofit led by two city employees, one of whom was his niece. Mimms has pleaded not guilty. Breaking news reporter Will Greenlee contributed to this report. Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Commissioner James Taylor arrested, alleged of relationship with teen
CBS News
25-07-2025
- CBS News
Michigan border protection agent accused of soliciting undercover officer posing as 13-year-old
A Customs and Border Protection agent living and working in Michigan has been arrested after an FBI investigation involving an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, federal authorities said. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Michigan, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit Division, made the announcement Thursday. Harry Marvelle Peless III, 51, of Newport, was working as a Border Patrol agent in Michigan last fall when he began messaging someone through an online application, the report claims. That person was an undercover officer. Obscene material was allegedly sent during a series of conversations with the undercover officer who purported to be 13 years old. In addition, requests were allegedly made for the person believed to be the 13-year-old to participate in sexual activity. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility and the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- CTV News
Former Springbank high school teacher facing child pornography charges
Timothy Bailey, 49, is seen in a Springbank Community High School yearbook photo. (Supplied) A former teacher from Springbank Community High School is facing more charges. Timothy Bailey, 49, of Calgary, was charged with child luring, making sexually explicit material available to a child and sexual exploitation in January after a female student reported 'inappropriate behaviour.' On Wednesday, Cochrane RCMP announced that after further investigation, Bailey had been arrested and charged with two additional offences: accessing child pornography and possession of child pornography. He has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9. RCMP say Bailey is no longer a teacher with Rocky View Schools.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Washington Post
Greek court rejects extradition request for US national accused of running child exploitation site
THESSALONIKI, Greece — A court in Greece has rejected an U.S. extradition request for a 21-year-old American man wanted in connection with an online network that is alleged to have targeted children for acts of violence and sexual exploitation. Court officials in the northern city of Thessaloniki said Wednesday that the claim was rejected because the suspect has applied for and is eligible to receive Greek citizenship. He was due to be released from custody this week. A panel of judges upheld the claim 'that the extradition of a Greek national is forbidden, acknowledging his Greek citizenship by virtue of being the child of a Greek parent,' the suspect's lawyer Xanthippi Moisidou told The Associated Press.
