Monty
08-31-2001, 11:43 AM
I realize that arrest does not equal guilt, but as a Dad, and a webmaster, I detest these types of lowlifes. The FBI doesn't run around arresting people they think are innocent, either. What makes it even worse, is that this is all happening within a few miles of my home, and business.
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FBI arrests two more in child porn case
By Scott E. Williams
The Daily News
Published August 31, 2001
Three members of a volunteer group whose stated mission is to search for missing and possibly exploited children face federal charges in a child pornography case that began in Dickinson.
Seabrook resident Thomas McBarron, head of South Texas Advanced Tactical Team Search and Rescue, or Stattsar.org, joined members Jason Krieg and Henry Gerdes behind bars Thursday.
All three men face charges of sexual exploitation of a child and conspiracy to produce child pornography.
Dickinson police on Wednesday arrested Krieg, 24, a former Dickinson resident, after a monthlong investigation into reports that men had offered money to underage boys to perform sexual acts on camera.
FBI agents on Thursday arrested Krieg and Pearland resident Gerdes, both 30, after searching their homes and seizing computers, vehicles, a digital camera, numerous disks and a pair of 35-millimeter cameras.
FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said the case involved a ring planning to sell images of young teens performing sexual acts on the Internet.
Ring members “were offering to pay the kids and were producing images on digital cameras,” Doguim said. “They intended to put these images on the Internet and sell them for a profit.”
Dickinson police Sgt. John Wilson said the two victims they investigated were boys, ages 15 and 16, but Doguim said agents found a third victim, a 16-year-old girl.
Doguim said Stattsar.org played no role in the crimes, but U.S. Congressman Nick Lampson, who works with child advocacy groups throughout the region said anyone who abuses the trust that comes with that type of public service make the community jaded.
“So many times and with so many groups, we’ve gone through how background checks should be done on people wanting to work with charities like that to make sure children are not exposed to people with the potential to do harm to them,” he said. “There have been times where someone has eventually been convicted of a crime against a child, only to find out that person was a prior sex offender and later worked with those same types of charities.”
Lampson said he had not heard of Stattsar.org.
Authorities said the investigation could yet turn up more suspects and more victims.
“Certainly, we have more evidence to go through and more interviews to conduct,” Doguim said. “There could be more arrests to be made.”
Wilson said law enforcement agents were working to identify two more possible victims in the case.
Sexual exploitation of a child and conspiracy to produce child pornography each carries a possible federal prison term of 10 to 20 years, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
Krieg also faces four counts of sexual performance by a child in the Dickinson case. Each count carries a possible prison term of two to 20 years, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.
Galveston County Assistant District Attorney Bill Reed said he did not know whether the county office would pursue the sexual performance charge against Krieg in light of the federal charges.
“Obviously, in a situation like this, we would talk to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to the victims before making a determination, but it’s too early to say for sure what will happen with that charge,” he said.
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FBI arrests two more in child porn case
By Scott E. Williams
The Daily News
Published August 31, 2001
Three members of a volunteer group whose stated mission is to search for missing and possibly exploited children face federal charges in a child pornography case that began in Dickinson.
Seabrook resident Thomas McBarron, head of South Texas Advanced Tactical Team Search and Rescue, or Stattsar.org, joined members Jason Krieg and Henry Gerdes behind bars Thursday.
All three men face charges of sexual exploitation of a child and conspiracy to produce child pornography.
Dickinson police on Wednesday arrested Krieg, 24, a former Dickinson resident, after a monthlong investigation into reports that men had offered money to underage boys to perform sexual acts on camera.
FBI agents on Thursday arrested Krieg and Pearland resident Gerdes, both 30, after searching their homes and seizing computers, vehicles, a digital camera, numerous disks and a pair of 35-millimeter cameras.
FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said the case involved a ring planning to sell images of young teens performing sexual acts on the Internet.
Ring members “were offering to pay the kids and were producing images on digital cameras,” Doguim said. “They intended to put these images on the Internet and sell them for a profit.”
Dickinson police Sgt. John Wilson said the two victims they investigated were boys, ages 15 and 16, but Doguim said agents found a third victim, a 16-year-old girl.
Doguim said Stattsar.org played no role in the crimes, but U.S. Congressman Nick Lampson, who works with child advocacy groups throughout the region said anyone who abuses the trust that comes with that type of public service make the community jaded.
“So many times and with so many groups, we’ve gone through how background checks should be done on people wanting to work with charities like that to make sure children are not exposed to people with the potential to do harm to them,” he said. “There have been times where someone has eventually been convicted of a crime against a child, only to find out that person was a prior sex offender and later worked with those same types of charities.”
Lampson said he had not heard of Stattsar.org.
Authorities said the investigation could yet turn up more suspects and more victims.
“Certainly, we have more evidence to go through and more interviews to conduct,” Doguim said. “There could be more arrests to be made.”
Wilson said law enforcement agents were working to identify two more possible victims in the case.
Sexual exploitation of a child and conspiracy to produce child pornography each carries a possible federal prison term of 10 to 20 years, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
Krieg also faces four counts of sexual performance by a child in the Dickinson case. Each count carries a possible prison term of two to 20 years, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.
Galveston County Assistant District Attorney Bill Reed said he did not know whether the county office would pursue the sexual performance charge against Krieg in light of the federal charges.
“Obviously, in a situation like this, we would talk to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to the victims before making a determination, but it’s too early to say for sure what will happen with that charge,” he said.