Michigan man sentenced for massive child pornography collection purchased some files while stationed at Guantanamo Bay
Apparently five warnings wasn't enough.
4 A Michigan man was sentenced to five years in prison for his gargatuan collection of child pornography.
Getty Images
A Michigan miscreant was jailed for collecting more than 40,000 images and videos of child pornography, including files he admitted were purchased while he was stationed at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
David Mark Bartels, 38, was sentenced to to five years in prison and ordered to pay $63,000 in restitution on Friday.
Advertisement
He originally pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography by a person employed by the armed forces outside of the US in January, according to court documents, which did not provide details about his exact role at the naval base.
4 David Mark Bartels said he purchased some of the recovered files of child pornography while stationed at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
issaronow – stock.adobe.com
A five-terabyte hard drive Bartels owned held approximately 41,026 images and videos of child sexual abuse materials relating to 285 known victims, federal prosecutors said. The content was all stashed in a file titled '\NSFW\Nope\Dont open\You were Warned\Deeper\.'
Advertisement
Officials asserted that Bartels used the Tor browser, which masks online traffic, to scan the dark web and access the illicit content.
4 The Tor browser blocks online traffic and creates virtually guaranteed anonymity.
sharafmaksumov – stock.adobe.com
The case was investigated as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the abuse and sexual exploitation of children.
Advertisement
Feds have prosecuted a slew of other creepers as part of the project over the years.
4 Bartels was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood.
boonchuay1970 – stock.adobe.com
In January, one Missouri man faced up to three decades in prison after he was caught trying to record a 15-year-old girl while she took a bath in her home.
In May 2023, a former Pennsylvania state trooper pleaded guilty after he was caught possessing a mountain of child pornography, specifically containing images of prepubescent minors
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Syrian teen charged in failed terror attack on Taylor Swift concert
A Syrian teen has been charged with helping to try to carry out a bloodbath bomb attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last summer, according to authorities. The juvenile suspect, only identified as 'Mohammad A,' aided a fellow extremist by translating Arabic bomb-making instructions and hooking him up with an online Islamic State militia contact to plan the would-be terror attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, German prosecutors alleged Friday. 'Mohammad A has adhered to the ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) since April 2024 at the latest,' a statement from the prosecutor general said. Advertisement The juvenile suspect, only identified as 'Mohammad A,' helped a fellow extremist plan a would-be attack on a Taylor Swift 'Eras Tour' Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna last summer, authorities said. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management From mid-July to August 2024, the Syrian teen allegedly coordinated with a young Austrian suspect who was planning to unleash chaos at one of Swift's massive 'Eras Tour' concerts before the plot was foiled. Police have already made multiple arrests tied to the suspected terror cell. Three men, ages 19, 18, and 17, were previously taken into custody in Vienna. Advertisement News of the thwarted attack prompted the cancellation of Swift's three sold-out Eras shows in the city starting Aug. 8, 2024. A man arrested in the plot holds two machetes, which were weapons the fiends allegedly planned to use in addition to bombs. APA/AFP via Getty Images The suspects had planned to drive a bomb-filled car into the crowd outside the venue to kill 'as many people as possible' and had reportedly just been hired by the venue to work security. They allegedly wanted to also attack fans with machetes, security officials previously said. Advertisement Authorities believed the teens were radicalized online. Austria's coalition government agreed on a plan earlier this month to enable police to monitor suspects' secure messaging to thwart future planned militant attacks, ending what security officials have said is a rare and dangerous blind spot for a European Union country. Mohammad A's exact age has not yet been released. With Post wires
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs ‘might be cooked' on key sex crime charge, experts say, as jury preps for deliberation
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial came to a close after seven weeks on Friday as the rapper's defense team and prosecution completed closing arguments. Both sides saw wins and losses throughout the trial, but experts claimed Diddy 'might be cooked' on one specific charge as the jury prepares to deliberate. After his arrest in September 2024, the 'Last Night' singer was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Former Danity Kane singer and Diddy protégé, Aubrey O'Day, has been following the trial and isn't sure what the outcome will be. While she personally believes the rapper is 'guilty of all the charges,' the musician isn't sold on the prosecution's case in court. 'The rational, justice side of me that leads a good amount of what I do nowadays says the answer should be what was proven by the prosecution, the law, and that's conflicting to what I want personally,' she told Extra. 5 The jury is about to deliberate on Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Getty Images 5 Experts claimed Diddy 'might be cooked' on one specific charge. REUTERS She noted: 'I don't know if the prosecution proved [Diddy's crimes] without a doubt, though.' During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Diddy ran an alleged criminal enterprise with full control. They pointed out that the jury heard testimony, saw texts, viewed bank records and heard audio showing the rapper committing crime after crime for decades. According to the prosecution, the government showed that Diddy didn't take no for an answer. Up until today, Diddy was able to get away with crime because of his money and power, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Slavik said. 'That stops now.' Here's where experts say things stand for each charge against Diddy with the jury about to deliberate. 5 Sean 'Diddy' Combs listens as prosecutor Maurene Comey makes her closing arguments during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City. REUTERS Transportation to Engage in Prostitution As to the transportation to engage in prostitution charge, an expert told Fox News Digital, Diddy might be in trouble. 'The sex workers were very clear about their role and their purpose for being transported across state lines; it was for sex and not something else,' criminal defense attorney Eric Faddis explained. 'Diddy might be cooked on this charge.' However, the defense did find a way to show the jury a different explanation in an attempt to undermine the government's argument. 'Defense got an employee of one of the companies to say that Diddy was just buying the escorts' time and not any sexual performance, which the jury could use as a basis to acquit Diddy on the transportation charges,' Faddis, a founding partner of Colorado-based Varner Faddis, said. 5 Evidence photos depict Diddy's collection of lingerie. Department of Justice 'Diddy might be cooked on this charge.' Eric Faddis, criminal defense attorney Racketeering Conspiracy The jury is unlikely to find Diddy not guilty of racketeering, criminal defense attorney John W. Day told Fox News Digital. 'The only thing Diddy and his team can hope for is a miracle where the jurors don't buy the government's claim that this was racketeering and that Diddy was the head of a criminal empire dedicated to fulfilling his desires,' the founder of New Mexico-based law practice, John Day Law, explained. 'A defense win is more likely if the jurors are conflicted on the racketeering charges and can't reach a unanimous verdict. That could lead to a hung jury on one or more of the charges. But the jurors spent the entire trial waiting to see how Diddy's lawyers rebutted the massive case against him, and they merely rested without putting on any witnesses. That leaves the jury picking through the government's case to see if this really rises to racketeering, and if not, they may hang or acquit on some of the charges – but it's unlikely.' 5 'The only thing Diddy and his team can hope for is a miracle where the jurors don't buy the government's claim that this was racketeering,' John Day Law, founder of a New Mexico-based law practice, said. REUTERS According to the legal expert, the prosecution 'presented overwhelming evidence' that Diddy 'presided over this little kingdom of criminal activity designed to make him happy – and made a compelling case to the jury that this met all the elements of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution.' 'The prosecution can withstand an acquittal or a hung jury on some of the counts, but the prosecutors really need a conviction for racketeering to claim total victory,' Day added. 'Again, that can be a difficult charge to convict on if the jurors don't buy the theory that this entire business empire was engaged in sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. But the defense needed to have convinced at least one juror that the case wasn't there, and that witnesses were lying to save their own necks. And that's a tough sell to a jury that spent weeks listening to horrific testimony about Diddy and his empire.' Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud or Coercion Things aren't as clear-cut on the sex trafficking charge, one expert told Fox News Digital. Diddy was accused of sex trafficking two of his ex-girlfriends, Cassie Ventura and Jane, who testified under a pseudonym. The prosecution claimed the rapper transported both women across state lines and then forced them to have sex with male escorts while he watched. 'On cross-examination, both Cassie and Jane admitted to willingly participating in some of the 'freak offs,' which could cause the jurors to wonder if all of the romantic encounters may have been consensual,' Faddis noted. 'Both Cassie and Jane admitted to voluntarily ingesting drugs before the 'freak offs,' which may undercut the prosecution's coercion argument.' The criminal defense attorney did note that Cassie and Jane both gave 'compelling, evocative testimony detailing physical abuse and financial coercion.'
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Ukrainian F-16 pilot killed defending against biggest Russian barrage yet: ‘He died like a hero'
A Ukrainian Air Force pilot flying an American-made F-16 jet was shot out of the sky overnight as he defended his nation from the largest Russian drone and missile barrage of the war so far. Lt. Col. Maksym Ustimenko, 31, took off early Sunday after Russia fired a record 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and 60 missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Ustimenko was able to intercept seven targets before his F-16 Falcon was struck, leaving him with no time to eject, but just enough to aim the jet away from a residential area, officials said. This is the third F-16 to be downed since Ukraine took delivery of the warplanes in February. One jet was shot down last month, and another in April 2024 when repelling major Russian airstrikes. NATO members have pledged to provide more than 80 F-16s of to Ukraine, and they have been a key weapon to intercept Moscow's ever-escalating bombardments. 4 First Class Pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustymenko died intercepting Russian drones and missiles early Sunday. @Mariana_Betsa/X 4 Ukraine scrambled its American-made F-16 fighter jets in response to Russia's largest aerial attack of the war so far. Anadolu via Getty Images 'Maksym did everything he could to steer the aircraft away from a populated area,' the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement. 'He died like a hero… Eternal flight, brother,' the military added. 'My condolences to his family and brothers-in-arms,' Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said. 'Ukrainian aviation is heroically protecting our skies. I am grateful to everyone who is defending Ukraine.' With the help of its F-16 pilots, Ukraine's air force was able to intercept 436 drones and 38 missiles, with the remaining projectiles and debris hitting eight locations across Ukraine. 4 Moscow fired more than 500 missiles and drones overnight, striking at least eight Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian State Emergency Service/AFP via Getty Images Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's air force, described the Russian assault as 'the most massive air strike' the country has ever experienced. The scope of the attack was so large that it even caused Poland and other allied countries near the western border to scramble their aircraft in response, according to the country's Armed Forces Operational Command. '[Poland] activated all available forces and resources at his disposal, the duty fighter pairs have been scrambled and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness,' the agency said. 4 First responders arrive at a residential apartment building that was hit by a drone in Smila. via REUTERS Near the border in Ukraine's Lviv region, a drone strike caused a large-scale fire to break out at an industrial facility in Drohobych, which caused black outs across the city. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Ukraine's Kherson region, said at least one person was killed by a drone strike. Cherkasy regional Gov. Ihor Taburets said at least six people were wounded in his municipality, including a child. Zelensky slammed the overnight assault, describing it as further escalation by Moscow's invading force and proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not committed to peace. 'Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes,' he said in a statement. 'Just this week alone, there have been more than 114 missiles, over 1,270 drones, and nearly 1,100 glide bombs. 'Putin long ago decided he would keep waging war, despite the world's calls for peace. This war must be brought to an end — pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection,' he added. With Post wires
