Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ
Ex-DC Cop, Registered Sex Offender Ran Yearlong Child Sex Trafficking Ring: DOJ A former DC police officer and registered sex offender is facing new federal charges after allegedly running a yearlong child sex trafficking operation, authorities announced. Linwood Barnhill, 59, was arrested on Thursday, May 1, in DC, and is now facing multiple federal counts for sex trafficking children by force, coercion, and related charges, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Federal officials say Barnhill, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer, allegedly recruited a series of minor children to engage in commercial sex acts between April 1, 2024, and April 29, 2025 — and…
Criminal Network Targets Kids At Home, FBI Says: What To Know About 764 Criminal Network Targets Kids At Home, FBI Says: What To Know About 764
Criminal Network Targets Kids At Home, FBI Says: What To Know About 764 Federal authorities are intensifying efforts against a disturbing online network known as "764," which they describe as a violent extremist group that targets and exploits children through social media and gaming platforms. Two men have been charged for allegedly leading the enterprise: Leonidas Varagiannis, age 21, a US citizen living in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, age 20, of North Carolina.  Varagiannis was arrested on Monday, May 6, in Greece. Nepal was arrested Monday, April 22, in North Carolina and has since made a court appearance. Both are expected to appear in cour…
Mahopac Man Used Snapchat To Lure Girls Into Sending Him Sexual Videos: Feds Mahopac Man Used Snapchat To Lure Girls Into Sending Him Sexual Videos: Feds
Mahopac Man Used Snapchat To Lure Girls Into Sending Him Sexual Videos: Feds A 46-year-old Putnam County man faces federal charges after allegedly using Snapchat to manipulate young girls into sending him sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves, prosecutors said. Mahopac resident Brian Fullerton was arrested on Friday morning, May 2, and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, beginning as early as September 2022, Fullerton used social messaging apps such as Snapchat to contact victims as young as 14 years old, eventually l…
Eight Men Caught In Undercover Loudoun Child Predator Sting: Sheriff Eight Men Caught In Undercover Loudoun Child Predator Sting: Sheriff
Eight Men Caught In Undercover Loudoun Child Predator Sting: Sheriff Eight men have been arrested in a sweeping sting operation in Loudoun County after investigators say they tried to use social media and chat apps to exploit children under the age of 15. The arrests followed an undercover Internet chat operation carried out during the week of April 21, by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Northern Virginia–Washington DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The men believed they were talking to underage children on various online platforms, according to investigators. “All were seeking to engage in criminal activity with a child,” authorit…
Cinnaminson Prep School Grad, College Golfer, Requested Nude Pics From Kids Online: Prosecutor Cinnaminson Prep School Grad, College Golfer, Requested Nude Pics From Kids Online: Prosecutor
Cinnaminson Prep School Grad, College Golfer, Requested Nude Pics From Kids Online: Prosecutor A 28-year-old New Jersey man who played college golf was arrested and charged on Wednesday, April 23 with possessing child pornography, authorities said. Investigators began looking into Kevin Kramarski, a Moorestown, NJ resident, after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about his online activities, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said. The tip included his efforts to purchase child sexual abuse material online and engaging in online chats with juveniles where he requested they send him nude photos, the prosecutor said. Kev…
Shrewsbury Man Raped Girl, Filmed It, Paid Her $2K To Stay Quiet: FBI, DA Shrewsbury Man Raped Girl, Filmed It, Paid Her $2K To Stay Quiet: FBI, DA
Shrewsbury Man Raped Girl, Filmed It, Paid Her $2K To Stay Quiet: FBI, DA A York County man who raped a girl for years, recorded the abuse, and paid her $2,000 to stay silent now faces federal child pornography charges, authorities announced Thursday, April 24. Robert Angel Haley, 41, of Shrewsbury, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday, April 23, for producing and possessing child pornography, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus. York County Regional Police say Haley began abusing the girl in 2020 when she was just 10. The now 15-year-old victim told police he showed her pornographic videos, forced her to mimic them, filmed the assault…
Newtown Repeat Sex Offender Ran Accounts With 100K Followers That Targeted Kids: DOJ Newtown Repeat Sex Offender Ran Accounts With 100K Followers That Targeted Kids: DOJ
Newtown Repeat Sex Offender Ran Accounts With 100K Followers That Targeted Kids: DOJ A Newtown man with a troubling criminal past is facing serious new charges after federal authorities say he used fake social media profiles to contact minors and collect child sex abuse material. Donald S. Hammalian Jr., 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Hartford on multiple child exploitation charges, the US Attorney for Connecticut reported.  Authorities say he managed about a dozen social media accounts and had more than 100,000 followers online, some of whom were underage. Officials allege he posed as a 16-year-old boy while communicating with minors on TikTok, Instagram,…
Child Exploitation Sting: Haverstraw Man Accused Of Talking To Minors Online, Police Say Child Exploitation Sting: Haverstraw Man Accused Of Talking To Minors Online, Police Say
Child Exploitation Sting: Haverstraw Man Accused Of Talking To Minors Online, Police Say An undercover operation targeting online child exploitation has led to the arrest of a Rockland County man, authorities announced.  Moses Goldstein, age 34, of Haverstraw, was taken into custody following a multi-day operation carried out by the New York State Police, the FBI, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, State Police said on Friday, April 11.  Investigators used advanced cyber tactics to access platforms commonly used to facilitate child exploitation and allegedly found Goldstein attempting to engage with minors online and arrange in-person meetings. He…
4 Men Busted In Danbury Brothel Raid Face Sex Trafficking Counts In Federal Court 4 Men Busted In Danbury Brothel Raid Face Sex Trafficking Counts In Federal Court
4 Men Busted In Danbury Brothel Raid Face Sex Trafficking Counts In Federal Court Four Connecticut Men Indicted on Federal Child Sex Trafficking Charges After Brothel Raid Four men in Connecticut who were arrested last year after police raided a Fairfield County brothel where minors were allegedly exploited now face federal charges, authorities said. Oswaldo Ordonez-Ortega, 39; Edwin Quilli-Tacuri, 40; and Bryan Ismael Vasquez-Salinas, 23 — all of Danbury — along with Marco Robles, 40, of Brookfield, have been charged with sex trafficking of a minor, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced Thursday, April 10. If convicted, each defendant faces a mini…
6 Caught In Undercover Child Exploitation Sting In Rockland County, Police Say 6 Caught In Undercover Child Exploitation Sting In Rockland County, Police Say
6 Caught In Undercover Child Exploitation Sting In Rockland County, Police Say An undercover child exploitation investigation led to the arrests of six men from across the Hudson Valley and New Jersey, authorities announced.  The multi-day operation, which was led by the New York State Police in partnership with the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Ramapo Police Department, targeted suspects allegedly involved in online exploitation and trafficking of minors, State Police announced on Wednesday, April 9.  Investigators said they used advanced cyber tactics to pose as minors on internet platforms commonly used for grooming and exploitation. Th…
Feasterville Sex Offender Caught Exchanging Explicit Photos With Teen While On Probation: Cops Feasterville Sex Offender Caught Exchanging Explicit Photos With Teen While On Probation: Cops
Feasterville Sex Offender Caught Exchanging Explicit Photos With Teen While On Probation: Cops A 26-year-old Pennsylvania sex offender out on probation has been arrested on accusations he was chatting with a minor, authorities said. The Meghan's Law website shows that Justin Refsnyder has two prior convictions: sexual abuse of children and possession of child pornography. Detectives got a tip on Feb. 4 from the Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department that Refsnyder, of Feasterville, was possibly communicating with minors via cell phone, Lower Southampton Township police said. When an APPD officer arrived at Refsnyder's residence, Refsnyder refused to turn over his ce…
West Stockbridge Man Who Admitted To Having Sex With 15-Year-Old NY Girl Gets 25 Years: Feds West Stockbridge Man Who Admitted To Having Sex With 15-Year-Old NY Girl Gets 25 Years: Feds
West Stockbridge Man Who Admitted To Having Sex With 15-Year-Old NY Girl Gets 25 Years: Feds A Berkshire County man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child and traveling to New York with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual conduct, federal authorities said.  Frank Twing Sr., of West Stockbridge, learned his fate in Albany Federal Court after an investigation revealed his involvement in crimes against minors, the US Attorney for the Northern District of New York said. His sentence includes 25 years of supervised release following his prison term. The case stemmed from a January 2024 investigation by the Massach…