Latest news with #protectingchildren
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Washington Post
Former mayor accused of exploiting Filipino boys ordered to stay in jail
In the fall of 2022, a mayor in suburban Maryland wrote out his prep and packing list for a trip to the Philippines. Much was standard: renew passport, reserve hotel, order sunglasses. And part of it was not: bondage gear, pantyhose and tiny underwear sized for children. The details, as alleged in court Friday by federal prosecutors, are central to new accusations against Joel Biermann, 46, who has been locked up since his arrest on child pornography charges seven months ago. The charges stunned the citizens of University Park, a town of about 2,500 residents just outside Washington, where Biermann served as mayor from 2022 until last year and had a top campaign priority of 'protecting our children.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Five Mass. men arrested in national round-up of over 200 child sex predators
Five Massachusetts men were arrested and charged last week as part of a nationwide round-up of child sex predators, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. Between April 28 and May 2, more than 200 suspects were arrested across the country sd part of Operation Restore Justice — a coordinated effort by law enforcement to identify, track and arrest child sex predators, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release. The operation involved all 55 FBI field offices. 'Operation Restore Justice delivered a powerful and urgent message: protecting children is not just a worthy cause we recognize, it is a mission we carry out every day. We will not relent in our pursuit of those who exploit children,' Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in the release. School leaders, registered sex offenders and law enforcement officers were among those arrested in last week's round-up, the U.S. Attorney's office said. They are accused of various crimes, including the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors and child sex trafficking. Massachusetts men arrested in the operation: Boston resident and former Emmanuel College Assistant Director of Admissions Jacob Henriques, 29, is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor. He is accused of soliciting an underage college applicant to engage in commercial sex with him. Level 1 sex offender and Holyoke resident Justin Ouimette, 34, is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. He is accused of having over 400 digital files depicting child sexual abuse, including the abuse of victims as young as three years old. Agawam resident Warren Messeck, 75, is also charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. He is accused of being part of an online child sexual abuse material sharing network and having over 10,000 files depicting such abuse on six of his electronic devices. Wareham resident Brandon Bendall, 49, is charged with possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material. He is accused of being a member of an online chat group in which members shared such material and of having approximately 9,400 images and videos of child sexual abuse in his home and on his cell phone. It is alleged that among these images were those showing the sexual abuse of babies. Boston resident Cess Frazier, 32, is charged with receiving child sexual abuse material. He is accused of having over 100 child sexual abuse material files on his cell phone. 'Each case serves as a difficult reminder that child predators are embedded in our communities. Some take on roles that increase their direct contact with children, while others prey on children from behind a keyboard,' U.S. Attorney Foley said in the release. 'But make no mistake, we will identify, arrest, and hold every one of them accountable, no matter how long it takes or how far we have to go.' The FBI urges the public to 'remain vigilant' and report suspected child exploitation by visiting or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or your local FBI field office. More national news Read the original article on MassLive.
