Latest news with #childsexabuse
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Delta Pilot's Dramatic Cockpit Arrest Connected to Child Sex Abuse Material Charges: Reports
A co-pilot was arrested moments after touchdown at San Francisco International AirportNEED TO KNOW A Delta Airlines co-pilot was arrested in the cockpit shortly after a plane landed in San Francisco The unnamed pilot was reportedly arrested in connection with charges related to child sex abuse materials The identity of the pilot has not yet been releasedThe pilot who was arrested by authorities on a plane just after it landed in San Francisco was reportedly detained on charges related to child sex abuse materials. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that just after Delta Flight 2809, which originated in Minneapolis, landed at San Francisco International Airport at about 9:35 p.m., several officers boarded the plane and arrested one of the pilots. The New York Times, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and Fox News reported, citing Department of Homeland Security officials, that the co-pilot was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations in connection with child sex abuse materials charges. The identity of the pilot has not yet been released. A passenger on the plane reportedly told View from the Wing that the officers "stormed" the cockpit, leaving everyone onboard confused. "I don't know if this person was disappearing before our eyes, if there had been a crime committed, or what exactly was happening," a woman on the plane told ABC 7. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. A spokesperson for HSI San Francisco told the Chronicle that it had assisted local officials in executing an arrest warrant. 'This is an ongoing local investigation with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office,' the spokesperson told the paper. It is not immediately clear what charges the co-pilot could be facing. Read the original article on People
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
Delta Pilot Is Arrested in Cockpit After Flight Lands in San Francisco
A pilot for Delta Air Lines was arrested in the cockpit of a plane just moments after it landed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, the authorities said, with the crew and passengers still on board as agents led the pilot away. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed in an email on Monday that it had arrested a pilot at the airport on charges involving child sex abuse materials. It did not give any further details about the pilot or the charges. Flight 2809, a Boeing 757-300, arrived in San Francisco at 9:35 p.m. on Saturday after departing from Minneapolis, with heavy fog around the San Francisco airport delaying its landing by a few minutes. A passenger on the plane told the San Francisco Chronicle that several people with 'badges, guns and different agency vests/markings' made their way up the aisle and into the cockpit, where they put one of the pilots in handcuffs and escorted that pilot off the plane. The passenger estimated that there were at least 10 law enforcement officers involved in the arrest. The aviation blog View From the Wing published a short video showing several people with visible badges walking out of the plane's cockpit. Delta declined to comment on the arrest and directed questions to law enforcement agencies.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
DOJ shuts down dark web child abuse sites that had 120,000 members
When FBI agents arrived outside William Spearman's home in the quiet suburb of Madison, Alabama, in November 2022, they were prepared for danger. Their search warrant was so important to the bureau that it was approved by the FBI director himself. When the agents breached Spearman's door with tactical explosives, Spearman fought back, tussling with the agents as three of his handguns remained barely out of reach. The FBI managed to handcuff and arrest Spearman, a high-value arrest, in what a top Justice Department official called "one of the most successful" prosecutions of its kind. Spearman went by the nickname "Boss" and was labeled by the Justice Department as "one of the most significant" purveyors of child sex abuse material in the world. His arrest in 2022, his guilty plea a year later and his eventual life sentence were part of an unprecedented takedown of a prodigious child abuse network. Spearman is one of at least 18 people convicted so far of leading and utilizing the dark web to share hundreds of thousands of unlawful sexually exploitative images of children. The Justice Department calls the investigation and prosecutions Operation Grayskull; it helped secure those arrests and shutter four heavily trafficked dark web sites where violent and horrific images of child sexual abuse were traded and housed. The Operation Grayskull investigation launched in 2020, when law enforcement agents noticed a spike in traffic to a dark web site suspected of hosting child abuse material. The dark web child abuse sites eventually attracted more than 120,000 members, millions of files and at least 100,000 visits in a single day, according to an FBI official who spoke with CBS News. "Even for prosecutors, it is difficult to understand how pervasive this is," said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department Criminal Division. "Because it happens on the dark web, people aren't aware of it. It's extremely troubling," he told CBS News. Spearman's case has parallels to many of the others unearthed by Operation Grayskull. Spearman was accused of helping lead a dark web site with thousands of users and members. A sentencing memo submitted to the court said it was "no wonder" that he had tried to resist the FBI, rather than surrendering. "The devices at his desk contained massive quantities of evidence proving that he was the lead administrator of Website A," the memo said. "Unsurprisingly, the defendant's devices also contained an enormous collection of images and videos depicting the rape and abuse of children." Selwyn Rosenstein was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2022, for operating a dark website for unlawful exploitative images. Prosecutors said the platform "was not simply a website; it was a large, active community of pedophiles and (abuse material) enthusiasts. And it existed in part because of the Defendant's criminal acts." Rosenstein possessed such a large quantity of abusive images, he needed to store some on a server he used to run his business, according to the Justice Department. Speaking from a second floor conference room at Justice Department headquarters in Washington last week, Galeotti told CBS News the members of these dark web child abuse sites often "earn" membership by paying a fee, "helping moderate the site" or contributing child abuse images or material. Galeotti said, "We luckily have very sophisticated prosecutors and agents who work specifically on this kind of thing. These are people who have a more of a technical understanding." "The defendants in this case, as sadistic as they may be, are somewhat sophisticated," and make use of encryption, he added. Operation Grayskull also secured the conviction of Matthew Garrell of Raleigh, North Carolina, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for operating on a dark web site for abuse material. "Garrell engaged in an extremely complex and technologically sophisticated conspiracy that far exceeds the typical child-exploitation offenses," prosecutors said. They argued in a court filing that Garrell possessed a predator's "handbook," with "detailed instructions" for grooming children for future abuse. The takedown of dark web leaders and users also included the convictions of men from Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Texas, Washington, Arkansas, Michigan and Oklahoma. "They were part of an online community of hundreds of thousands of people, with leadership roles rules and a common dedicated purpose" said Chris Delzotto, an acting FBI deputy assistant director. Delzotto told CBS News, "Few people would have envisioned how (child abuse materials) would permeate the internet, the way it has today." The federal investigation which uncovered and shuttered the first dark web site, also led to the closure of three others. Abbigail Beccaccio, an FBI unit chief, told CBS News. "The leadership team that operated one of the sites also operated several of the others." The Justice Department is touting the shutdown of those sites as a victory to help deter future abuse or production of unlawful images. "This is one of the most successful of all time," Galeotti said. "We dismantled four websites that have not regenerated." "The Wizard of Oz" as you've never seen it before Tadej Pogačar wins his fourth Tour de France Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Wicklow taxi driver sentenced to 10 months in prison for possession of child porn video
A Wicklow man who has been jailed for 10 months for possession of a video containing child sex abuse material appeared to have carried out the offence in the hope he would be 'rumbled', a court has heard. Keith Reilly (57), a taxi driver and married father of two from Upper Grattan Park, Kindlestown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to possession of the offending material contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. Advertisement A sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday heard that gardaí were alerted to the existence of a video in a Dropbox account in Reilly's name by the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Detective Garda Dara McEvoy gave evidence of seizing a mobile phone during a search of the defendant's home on July 2nd, 2021. Det Garda McEvoy said no child pornographic imagery was detected on the device but gardaí were 'extremely concerned' about the content and tone of a conversation between Reilly and another individual about young children in an exchange on WhatsApp. He told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that files in a Dropbox account belonging to the defendant could not be opened but two videos containing 'Category 1' child sex abuse material were subsequently found in it with the assistance of authorities in the US. Advertisement Evidence was heard that one video contained a recording of children engaged in sexual activity while the other depicted a naked boy masturbating. Det Garda McEvoy agreed with Mr Kelly that the WhatsApp conversation in itself constituted an offence under the legislation but the court heard that no prosecution had been entered in relation to it. The court heard that Reilly had no other previous convictions apart from some road traffic offences from 20 years ago. Cross-examined by defence counsel, Barry White SC, Det Garda McEvoy said he was aware that the accused had complained to gardaí in the past about being sexually abused as a child. Advertisement Det Garda McEvoy said he understood that a file on the complaint had been forwarded to the DPP who had directed that there should be no prosecution. Mr White observed that the defendant felt a proper Garda investigation had never occurred into the matter. The barrister said Reilly's offence seemed to be 'an endeavour to bring the matter into the open.' Judge John Martin acknowledged that the offence related to a small amount of material when some similar cases involved hundreds of videos. Advertisement He also accepted that Reilly had cooperated with gardaí and entered an early guilty plea, while there was no evidence he had engaged in the offending behaviour over any prolonged period. However, Judge Martin said he was somewhat concerned that Reilly was the father of two teenage girls given the nature of the offence who had also shown no empathy or remorse. The judge said he disagreed with the view of both the defendant and his wife, that it was a victimless crime. 'Young people were exploited for the sexual pleasure of others,' the judge remarked. 'Innocent children were exploited by someone making money out of them.' Advertisement Judge Martin said Reilly's claim that he was not motivated by any sexual desire but was calculated to bring himself 'into the spotlight' was 'a difficult pill to swallow.' The judge said it seemed like the defendant hoped he would be 'rumbled' which he found difficult to rationalise. Ireland Wicklow woman (22) disqualified from keeping anima... Read More He observed that Reilly had a difficult childhood which no child should have to endure 'no more than the children in the video you were watching.' The judge said he had been assessed at a low risk of offending although a psychologist believed such an assessment was likely to underestimate the risk due to the defendant's 'limited disclosure.' Sentencing Reilly to 14 months in prison, Judge Martin suspended the final four months on condition that he places himself under the supervision of the Probation Service and complies with any directions given to him for a period of 12 months after his release from prison. Another charge relating to possession of the other video was taken into consideration.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bunker of Hell: Men Allegedly Paid to Rape Small Children in Underground Enclosure for More Than a Year
Three Alabama men have been arrested for allegedly operating what local authorities described as an 'abhorrent' and 'horrific' child sex abuse ring out of an underground bunker near their homes in Brent, Ala. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office announced this past weekend that William Chase McElroy, Dalton Terrell, and Andres Velazquez-Trejo have all been arrested and charged in connection with the child sex abuse case. Local authorities began investigating the case back in February, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post announcing the men's arrest on Saturday. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said McElroy, 21, has been charged with four counts of rape, six counts of human trafficking, six counts of sodomy, and four counts of kidnapping. Terrell, also 21, was charged with six counts of rape, 12 counts of sodomy, and five counts of human trafficking. Meanwhile, Velazquez-Trejo, 29, was charged with six counts of human trafficking. 'Sheriff Wade reiterates that such abhorrent behavior will not be tolerated in Bibb County and that offenders will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,' the sheriff's office said in a statement. 'As this is an ongoing case, details are currently limited.' Some details have emerged from local reports, however. reported over the weekend that the three men allegedly carried out their child sex abuse operation for more than a year, between January 2024 and April 2025. The men's alleged victims ranged from 3-to-10 years old, the outlet reported, citing charging documents. McElroy and Terrell allegedly admitted to sexually abusing the children, according to while Velazquez-Trejo is accused of selling nude images of the victims to other suspects before also selling the children themselves. According to authorities haven't yet determined how the three men knew each other, but noted they all live in trailers within a mile of one another. The children were allegedly drugged and brought to the bunker, according to a report by WBRC, which also described the bunker as a local storm shelter. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Robert Turner Jr., the District Attorney for the 4th Circuit of Alabama, said in a statement on Tuesday that there are 'more anticipated arrests to follow' beyond the three men already indicted. 'This case represents one of the most troubling and complex investigations our office has undertaken, these allegations are sadistic and sickening,' Turner Jr. said. Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones said "it's just unimaginable that someone could do this to a child,' according to WBRC. 'Children are defenseless, and they depend on adults to take care of them and protect them," Jones added. "And then when adults do these types of things to them, it's just really horrific.' Neighbors and other community members have since taken to social media to call for justice. Misty Colburn, a neighbor who lived near one of the suspects, told WVTM that she believes the men 'deserve way worse' than prison in her mind. 'I couldn't imagine the amount of pain the children went through and the amount of pain that they should go through,' the neighbor said. 'I don't think there's a way to even do it.' Read the original article on People
