Secretary Johnson Announces Results of Operation That Dismantled Underground Child Exploitation Enterprise on Tor Network
WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana today announced the complete results of one of the largest online child exploitation investigations in the history of ICE, involving victims in 39 states and five countries.
Fourteen men operating a child pornography website on the Darknet’s Onion Router, also known as Tor, have been arrested and charged as part of a conspiracy to operate a child exploitation enterprise, following an extensive international investigation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and USPIS. Eleven have been federally charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana and three in other districts. All are in federal custody.
“Every day the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security work to keep our nation safe and a major part of that effort is the work of ICE Homeland Security Investigations, one of the largest investigative agencies with jurisdiction over a wide range of crimes spanning the U.S. and the entire globe,” said Secretary Johnson. “I am proud of the work done by the HSI special agents to not only detect this operation and arrest those involved in the conspiracy, but also their efforts to identify and bring support to the many young victims and their families.”
So far, investigators have identified 251 minor victims in 39 states and five foreign countries: 228 in the United States and 23 in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Belgium. Eight of the victims were female and 243 were male. The majority of victims, 159, were 13 to 15 years old. Fifty nine victims were 16 and 17; 26 victims were 10 to 12; four victims were 7 to 9; one victim was 4 to 6; and two victims were 3 years old or younger. All victims have been contacted by law enforcement and U.S. victims offered support services from HSI victim assistance specialists.