Tag:

Dark Web

Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Sullivan County, Sheriff Says Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Sullivan County, Sheriff Says
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Sullivan County, Sheriff Says Police in the region are warning of an automated sex extortion scam that is targeting residents through emails. Undersheriff Eric Chaboy of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said that scammers are acquiring emails and personal information on the so-called “Dark Web” and feeding it into what appears to be an artificial intelligence (AI) program that automatically contacts potential victims. Earlier report - Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know According to Chaboty, the program claims in an email that the victim has been looking at pornogra…
Plainsboro Man Sexually Assaulted Two Children, Uploaded Pics On Dark Web: Feds Plainsboro Man Sexually Assaulted Two Children, Uploaded Pics On Dark Web: Feds
Plainsboro Man Sexually Assaulted Two Children, Uploaded Pics On Dark Web: Feds A Plainsboro man was accused of sexually assaulting two children and uploading pictures of the abuse on the dark web, authorities said. Anthony Lagotta Jr., 54, was charged with one count each of production and possession of child pornography, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release on Tuesday, Aug. 20. He appeared in front of a federal judge and was detained. According to court documents and statements, Lagotta sexually assaulted two children and took photos of what happened about 15 years ago. He then uploaded 30 of the pictures to a child po…
Greenwich Attorney Possessed Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants: Here's His Sentence Greenwich Attorney Possessed Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants: Here's His Sentence
Greenwich Attorney Possessed Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants: Here's His Sentence A 37-year-old attorney from Connecticut will spend years in prison for accessing and possessing child pornography on the dark web, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants.  Fairfield County resident Christopher Bates, Jr. of Greenwich was sentenced on Tuesday, May 28 to 24 months in prison for possessing images and videos of the sexual abuse of children, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced. According to federal officials, Bates, an attorney licensed to practice in Connecticut and New York, was arrested after an international law i…
23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK 23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK
23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK Federal agents at JFK Airport seized a 23-year-old Taiwanese national who the Justice Department said owned and operated a dark web drug bazaar that produced well over $100 million in sales. The “Incognito Market” created by Rui-Siang Lin enabled its users to anonymously buy and sell drugs around the globe for nearly 3½ years, US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other federal officials announced on Monday, May 20. Lin -- also known as Ruisiang Lin, 林睿庠, Pharoah, and faro – mastermineded a clandestine e-commerce network where buyers could browse thousands of listings for heroin, LSD, …
Personal Info Of 73M AT&T Customers Posted To Dark Web In Massive Data Breach, Company Says Personal Info Of 73M AT&T Customers Posted To Dark Web In Massive Data Breach, Company Says
Personal Info Of 73M AT&T Customers Posted To Dark Web In Massive Data Breach, Company Says Personal information of millions of AT&T customers was posted to the dark web in a major data breach announced by the telecom company Saturday, March 30. The data set appears to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting approximately 73 million current AT&T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders, the company said. "With respect to the balance of the data set, which includes personal information such as social security numbers, the source of the data is still being assessed," AT&T said. "Currently, AT&T does not have evidence of unauthorized acce…
Greenwich Attorney Admits Possessing Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants Greenwich Attorney Admits Possessing Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants
Greenwich Attorney Admits Possessing Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants A 37-year-old attorney from Connecticut faces decades in prison after admitting to accessing and possessing child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants.  New, updated report - Greenwich Attorney Possessed Child Porn Depicting Sexual Abuse Of Infants: Here's His Sentence Fairfield County resident Christopher Bates, Jr. of Greenwich pleaded guilty to a child exploitation offense on Wednesday, Feb. 7, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  Earlier Report - Greenwich Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses, Includ…
Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts
Feds: Fugitive Who Sold Mail-Order Fentanyl To NJ Customers On Dark Web Indicted On 14 Counts A fugitive who sold mail-order fentanyl on the dark web while being pursued by authorities in Canada for nearly two years was indicted on federal charges in New Jersey on Tuesday following a Homeland Security investigation. Michael C. Wozney, a 38-year-old Canadian national from Ontario, was a fugitive when he slung the potentially fatal drug in various dark net marketplaces, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. This included hundreds of transactions in the Empire Market, according to a 14-count indictment that Sellinger said was returned by a grand jury in Newark on Jan. …
Cambridge Man Gets 5 Years For Buying More Than 2,000 Sexual Images Of Kids Ages 2-12: Feds Cambridge Man Gets 5 Years For Buying More Than 2,000 Sexual Images Of Kids Ages 2-12: Feds
Cambridge Man Gets 5 Years For Buying More Than 2,000 Sexual Images Of Kids Ages 2-12: Feds A 29-year-old Cambridge man was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday, Dec. 18, after he admitted to buying child sexual abuse material with cryptocurrency, authorities said.  David H. Chang pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography in September, the US Attorney General for Massachusetts said.  Police began investigating Chang in 2021 when they traced Bitcoin cryptocurrency that had been used to buy child sexual abuse material on the dark web back to him, the prosecutor said. Investigators found 1,700 images and 360 videos — some up to 50 minutes in length —…
Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed
Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed A Utah man has admitted to paying thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin to arrange for the murders of two New York residents. Christopher Pence, age 43, of Cedar City, Utah appeared in Albany federal court on Wednesday, Dec. 6, and pleaded guilty to using the internet to solicit and pay for murder. According to prosecutors, Pence admitted to contacting the administrator of a website dedicated to arranging contract killings in 2021. He confessed to paying them $16,000 worth of Bitcoin to facilitate the murder of two Hoosick Falls residents in Rensselaer County. Pence gave the administrato…
Mass Teen Tried To Help ISIS In Terrorist Group's War Against 'Disbelievers': Feds Mass Teen Tried To Help ISIS In Terrorist Group's War Against 'Disbelievers': Feds
Mass Teen Tried To Help ISIS In Terrorist Group's War Against 'Disbelievers': Feds An 18-year-old Middlesex County man has been charged with helping raise money for the terrorist group ISIS, federal authorities announced.  Mateo Ventura, 18, of Wakefield, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston this week on the charge of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Investigators said Ventura provided multiple gift cards worth $700 to someone he believed was an ISIS supporter. The gift cards would be sold on the dark web for less than their face value, wi…
Child Porn: CT Sex Offender Admits To Exploitation Charge Child Porn: CT Sex Offender Admits To Exploitation Charge
Child Porn: CT Sex Offender Admits To Exploitation Charge A 37-year-old registered sex offender in Connecticut admitted to having thousands of videos and images of child porn, many featuring infants, federal authorities said.  New Haven County resident Joseph Amadeo, of North Branford, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 19, to one count of receipt of child pornography, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. He was released on $100,000 bail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for July 12 in Hartford.  Related: CT Sex Offender Arrested On Child Porn Charges Federal agents began investigating Amadeo in 2020 after linking him to an o…
Cameras Found In HS Locker Rooms, Other Places: Ex-Parental Volunteer In Plainville Sentenced Cameras Found In HS Locker Rooms, Other Places: Ex-Parental Volunteer In Plainville Sentenced
Cameras Found In HS Locker Rooms, Other Places: Ex-Parental Volunteer In Plainville Sentenced A former parent volunteer for a youth recreational swim program from Plainville will spend decades in prison for recording dozens of videos of minors changing and uploading them online.  Earlier Report - Plainville Man Admits Placing Video-Recording Device In High School Locker Room, Other Places Kyle Fasold, age 52, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for child exploitation offenses in federal court in Hartford, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  Between June 2017 and March 2020, Fasold recorded videos of at least 36 minors and s…
Greenwich Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses, Including Possessing Images With Infants Greenwich Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses, Including Possessing Images With Infants
Greenwich Man Charged With Child Porn Offenses, Including Possessing Images With Infants A Fairfield County man is facing charges after investigators found that his laptop contained about 1,000 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants.  Christopher Bates Jr., age 36, of Greenwich, was arrested on a federal complaint charging him with child pornography offenses on Tuesday, Dec. 13, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. Investigators found that an IP address at Bates' home was being used to access the dark web to view images that depicted the sexual abuse of children, Roberts Avery reported. …
CT Man Admits Placing Video-Recording Device In High School Locker Room, Other Places CT Man Admits Placing Video-Recording Device In High School Locker Room, Other Places
CT Man Admits Placing Video-Recording Device In High School Locker Room, Other Places A Connecticut man could spend decades in federal prison after admitting that he secretly recorded dozens of teens and adults inside bathrooms, including in a high school locker room. Hartford County resident Kyle Fasold, age 52, of Plainville, pleaded guilty to child exploitation offenses Thursday, Sept. 29, in federal court in Hartford. Fasold was arrested in March 2020 after investigators determined he had uploaded images of child pornography to the dark web, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. Not long after, agents from Homeland Security Investigations, along with l…
Brockton Man, Member Of Dark Web Drug Ring Gets 2 Years In Prison: Feds Brockton Man, Member Of Dark Web Drug Ring Gets 2 Years In Prison: Feds
Brockton Man, Member Of Dark Web Drug Ring Gets 2 Years In Prison: Feds A 26-year-old Brockton man who pleaded guilty to being part of a sophisticated and popular dark web drug empire will spend 28 months in prison, authorities said. Steven McCall was sentenced to just over two years on Wednesday, Sept. 28, after he pleaded guilty to manufacturing and dealing ecstasy, Ketamine, and Xanax along with two other men, the US Attorney General for Massachusetts said. He must also give up a 2012 BMW that authorities said he paid for with drug money.  The government asked the judge for a much harsher penalty of just under six years behind bars, but Senior District …
Ex-Boston Philharmonic Artistic Advisor Gets 5 Years For Violent Child Porn: Feds Ex-Boston Philharmonic Artistic Advisor Gets 5 Years For Violent Child Porn: Feds
Ex-Boston Philharmonic Artistic Advisor Gets 5 Years For Violent Child Porn: Feds The former artistic advisor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra will spend the next five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sharing child porn, authorities announced on Thursday, Sept. 22.  David St. George, 75, of Arlington, was sentenced to the prison term, five years of supervised release, and he must pay a $5,100 special assessment and $3,000 restitution to the victims in the case, the US Attorney's Office said.  Federal investigators arrested St. George in May 2018 after they found a shared online storage account that was linked to his internet that was full of chil…
Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says
Suffolk County Will Notify Anyone Whose Data Was Compromised In Cyber Attack, Bellone Says Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that residents whose private information is comprised due to a cyber attack this month will be notified by county officials. Cybercriminals on the "dark web" hacked into the county government system on Thursday, Sept. 8, and since that time have demanded a "ransom," to get the system back online, although county officials have not confirmed a ransom has been demanded. Bellone said on Tuesday, Sept. 20, anyone whose data was compromised will be offered free identity theft protection services. Officials added that it does not have a number of …
Cyberattack Targets Suffolk County Government, Hackers Post Stolen Docs Online, Report Says Cyberattack Targets Suffolk County Government, Hackers Post Stolen Docs Online, Report Says
Cyberattack Targets Suffolk County Government, Hackers Post Stolen Docs Online, Report Says Leaders on Long Island are vowing to continue the people’s work despite a cyberattack on Suffolk County’s computer system that has led to stolen documents with personal information being posted online, NBC 4 New York reports. The attack, which was first discovered Thursday, Sept. 8, has impacted everything from the county’s police department to traffic court proceedings and has forced a countywide shutdown of all email and web services. Visitors to the official Suffolk County website are greeted with a simple list of county departments and their contact information. In the latest developm…
Inmate Convicted In Major Child Porn Ring At NJ Federal Prison Gets Mandatory 40-Year Sentence Inmate Convicted In Major Child Porn Ring At NJ Federal Prison Gets Mandatory 40-Year Sentence
Inmate Convicted In Major Child Porn Ring At NJ Federal Prison Gets Mandatory 40-Year Sentence A convicted child-porn trafficker who was about to be paroled was sentenced to another 40 years behind bars for sharing thousands of child sex-abuse images with fellow inmates in the federal prison at Fort Dix, NJ. William H. Noble, of Lowell, MA, will have to live into his late 90s in order to see freedom again. Noble, 57, originally was imprisoned for 81 months following a guilty plea to federal child-porn trafficking charges in Boston in 2012. He was only a month from being paroled from the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix in Lakehurst when he was charged by the FBI in Febru…
Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ
Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ A 25-year-old Brockton man who helped create and run a Dark Web drug ring was sentenced to more than two years in prison, federal authorities said.  Allante Pires pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, Ketamine, and Alprazolam (Xanax), the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He will spend 28 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and must forfeit a 2013 Mercedes E sedan that investigators say he bought using drug money. Though, prosecutors wanted a far harsher penalty of 70 months…
Former Private School Employee From Maryland Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Porn Former Private School Employee From Maryland Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Porn
Former Private School Employee From Maryland Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Porn A Maryland man who was a former employee at a Washington, DC private school has admitted to accessing the dark web from home and work computers to obtain child pornography, authorities announced. Crofton resident Jay Gordon, 55, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography after being identified as a suspect in the trafficking of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) during a nationwide investigation involving the receipt and distribution of porn. Prosecutors said that Gordon’s IP address was found to access dark websites.  A search warrant was executed at Gordon’s residence and la…
Registered Sex Offender In CT Charged With Child Exploitation Registered Sex Offender In CT Charged With Child Exploitation
Registered Sex Offender In CT Charged With Child Exploitation A registered sex offender in Connecticut has been indicted on new charges after being busted with thousands of pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, federal authorities announced. New Haven County resident Joseph Amadeo, age 37, of North Branford, has been charged by a federal grand jury with receipt of child pornography following an investigation into an online community that shared porn on the dark web. US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said that Amadeo was originally arrested on the federal criminal complaint on June 3, 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.…
CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced
CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced A Connecticut man who admitted to possessing child pornography will largely avoid time behind bars after being sentenced in Hartford District Court. Windham County resident Shayne Shayer, age 40, of Thompson, was sentenced to one day in prison, time already served, and 10 years of supervised release for downloading child sex abuse videos from the dark web, federal prosecutors announced. According to court documents, a Homeland Security investigation that was launched by law enforcement in Europe, determined that in January 2018, Shayer used cryptocurrency to access a dark web server and dow…
CT Man Sentenced For Dark Web Fentanyl Distribution CT Man Sentenced For Dark Web Fentanyl Distribution
CT Man Sentenced For Dark Web Fentanyl Distribution A Connecticut man was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for trafficking drugs on the dark web, leading to a fatal overdose, and firearm charges. Barry Duclos, age 43, of New London County, was sentenced on Tuesday, Feb. 1, to 170 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to Leonard Boyle, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. The US Attorney's Office said Duclos, a resident of Norwich, was found guilty of the following charges on July 30: Seven counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl analogues Po…
Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict
Where Did This NJ Town Get A Maserati To Auction Off? Answer: From A Federal Convict A Maserati that’s being auctioned off by a small Bergen County town was seized from a confessed ID thief from Hackensack who's now serving federal prison time for swiping $2 million from various victims, Daily Voice has learned. She was a he at the time. Closter police confiscated the flash ride during a 2018 investigation that produced the arrest of Ralph Taylor -- who according to the U.S. Attorney's Office has become Alexis Taylor while behind bars. Working with others, Taylor bought a “significant amount of stolen personal identifying information via the dark web, includ…
NY School District Victim Of Ransomware Attack NY School District Victim Of Ransomware Attack
NY School District Victim Of Ransomware Attack Files stolen from a New York school district have reportedly been posted on the dark web following a ransomware attack after hackers did not receive ransom payments. On Long Island, acting Manhasset Schools Superintendent Gaurav Passi issued an alert to the community that said that the district was notified that some files stolen from school servers had been posted online. “We were notified that yesterday, the criminals posted certain files to the dark web that they stole from our servers,” he advised. “We are currently reviewing these files, and we will provide direct notification, in ac…
FBI Arrests Westchester Man On Child Porn Charges FBI Arrests Westchester Man On Child Porn Charges
FBI Arrests Westchester Man On Child Porn Charges A Westchester County man has been apprehended on child porn charges. The FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force says the man downloaded and distributed child pornography from a network used on the Dark Web.  Agents arrested Michael J. Facelle on Tuesday, July 20, at his home in White Plains. Based on the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, investigators allege Facelle used the peer-to-peer computer software called BitTorrent to download videos and photos of child pornography. If anyone has information about this investigation, they are asked to call…
NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen
NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen A New Jersey man who admitted trading sexually explicit images with a minor took a different tack before pleading guilty: Looking to have the kid killed, he paid $20,000 in bitcoin to a bogus murder-for-hire site on the dark web, a federal indictment alleges. John Michael Musbach, 31, was a free man, having been sentenced in February 2018 to a two-year suspended sentence with lifetime parole supervision for his exchanges with the then-13-year-old from upstate New York. A year or so had passed when cybercrime sleuth Chris Monteiro tipped federal agents off to messages that Musbach exchanged …
FBI: Don’t Even Think Of Using A Phony COVID Vaccination Card FBI: Don’t Even Think Of Using A Phony COVID Vaccination Card
FBI: Don’t Even Think Of Using A Phony COVID Vaccination Card It was inevitable that there’d be a black market for COVID vaccination cards, which has prompted warnings from federal authorities. It might be tempting to print out and fill in a blank vaccination card you bought online -- or on the street. Just be warned: You’re not just putting others at risk. You’re also facing possible federal charges if you’re caught with a forged card, the FBI says. "If you did not receive the vaccine, do not buy fake vaccine cards, do not make your own vaccine cards, and do not fill-in blank vaccination record cards with false information," the bureau warns. "By …
Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos
Feds: Union County Man Admits Collecting Child Porn Videos A Union County man caught by federal agents with child porn took a guilty plea Tuesday. Andrew Chu, 30, of Garwood, admitted during a videoconference with a judge in Newark that he downloaded what Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said were 90 videos “depicting the sexual abuse of children” from a dark web site. Chu took a deal from the government rather than go to trial. U.S. District Judge William J. Martini scheduled sentencing on Chu’s plea to possession child pornography for Aug. 26. Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Inv…
Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen
Confessed Hackensack Schemer Who Stole $2M From Victims' Bank Accounts Gets 5+ Years In Fed Pen A Hackensack woman who stole $2 million from various victims’ bank accounts through an elaborate scheme that included going to their homes is headed to federal prison for more than five years, authorities said Tuesday. Working with others, Alexis Taylor, 32, bought a “significant amount of stolen personal identifying information via the dark web, including bank account information and online security question answers,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachel A. Honig said. She then used the information to access victim accounts in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere, Honig said. Taylor a…