WASHINGTON — Several Georgia men have apparently been implicated in a child porn bust, one that federal investigators called the "largest dark web child porn marketplace."
The U.S. Justice Department said it indicted South Korean national Jong Woo Son, 23, on nine counts for operating "Welcome to Video." The site, federal officials said, was the "largest child sexual exploitation market by volume" of content.
Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea, where federal investigators said he is currently serving his sentence.
The Department of Justice said an additional 337 people from around the world, spanning 38 countries and the U.S. - including here in the state of Georgia - were also arrested and charged. Among them were:
- Kevin Christopher Eagan, 39, of Brookhaven, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in the Northern District of Georgia
- Casey Santioius Head, 37, of Griffin, Georgia, was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography
- Michael Lawson, 36, of Midland, Georgia, was arrested in the Middle District of Georgia on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his plea to a superseding information charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography
The Justice Department said they were able to identify the Darknet server through the "sophisticated tracing of bitcoin transactions," which they said ultimately led them to Son in South Korea.
Investigators said the site offered videos for sale using the cryptocurrency, one of the first sites of its kind to use the method to monetize child exploitation videos, according to the Department of Justice. They added that the site itself "boasted over one million downloads of child exploitation videos by users," and also had the capacity to host a least a million users.
"Today’s indictment sends a strong message to criminals that no matter how sophisticated the technology or how widespread the network, child exploitation will not be tolerated in the United States," said Acting Executive Director of Homeland Security Investigations Alysa Erichs. "Our entire justice system will stop at nothing to prevent these heinous crimes, safeguard our children, and bring justice to all.”
Prosecutors said they recovered at least 23 minors who were victims of the alleged scheme and were residing in the US, Spain and the United Kingdom.
US Attorney Jessie K. Lie said prosecution of the case has made children around the world safer.
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