cybercrusaders.org

Huge Kid Porn Ring Busted

Lynn Burke 04.14.00

Editor's note: This story was updated on April 18, after its original publication on April 14. Underneath a monstrous heap of electronic kiddie porn, federal prosecutors have uncovered a suburban Texas couple, three foreign webmasters, and thousands of customers worldwide who left behind a trail of credit card charges totaling $1 million. Federal prosecutors, who watched with glee as a grand jury handed down an 87-count indictment against the peddlers Thursday, say they've never had such a big case. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Paul Coggins said the case is a major step forward in a high-stakes fight against the people who sexually abuse children and sell images of the abuse on the Web. Catching the webmaster, he said, makes finding their victims a real possibility. "Where these webmasters are establishing sites could well be where these scenes of sexual abuse take place," Coggins said. Prosecutors say the children in this case are 4-12 years old. "These kids are being scarred for life somewhere, (and) someone needs to be prosecuting." The indictment charges Fort Worth's Thomas and Janice Reedy with operating a commercial kid porn ring from their home. According to the Texas Secretary of State, the Reedys incorporated their company, called Landslide, Inc., on Feb. 13, 1997. Prosecutors say Landslide acted as the "gatekeeper" between one Russian and two Indonesian webmasters who supplied customers with pornographic images of children in exchange for US$29.95 per site. Landslide supplied the password-protected access to the sites –- including childrenforcedtoporn.com, childrape.com, and childrenofgod.com –- and handled the credit card transactions. Those charges left behind a handy trail of evidence for prosecutors, who say the Reedys made $1,111,266 in less than a year. They kept a third of the profits and sent the rest to the foreign webmasters. People close to the case said the size of the Reedys' business was enormous. "The extent of the kiddie porn business, the scope of the customers, (and the fact that) they are spread across the states and across the globe, shocked me," Coggins said. Lead prosecutor Terri Moore agreed, calling the scope of the operation "absolutely frightening." "I'm a seasoned prosecutor and I was appalled, I was floored," she said. Parry Aftab, director of anti-child pornography group Cyberangels, called Landslide a major commercial scheme, setting it apart from most child pornography on the Internet, which is not commercial. "This is a very, very important case," she said. "For child pornography, this is as important as the World Trade Center bombing." Without commenting specifically on Landslide, Aftab said commercial rings are extremely dangerous and even deadly for the children who are targeted. "They are particularly heinous," she said. "Many of them kill the children after they abuse them. They use foreign children, from Eastern Europe and South America. It is the kind of world you can't imagine." The Reedys, who are being held in federal prison until a detention hearing next week, have been forced to take down their alleged kid porn, and most of the sites they once operated are now out of service. But they're still using the landslide.com site to assert their innocence. "We have committed no illegal act, and are confident to be found innocent of any such charges," the site reads.
They're even soliciting funds for their defense on the site. "Please buy an Adult Check ID, and show your support to fight this injustice!" their message reads, with a link to a form where customers can offer up their credit digits. They also offer several links to the paid adult pornography sites that are still running, even as they are being held in jail. [Editor's note: Cybernet Ventures Inc., the owner/operator of Adult Check, says it is in no way associated with Landslide, Inc., and is not supporting the Reedys' defense.] If found guilty, the Reedys face stiff penalties for each of the 87 counts handed down, which carries with them a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The Russian webmaster is charged with 12 counts of the same crimes, while the Indonesian webmasters face 16 counts each. U.S. prosecutors are hoping to extradite the accused and try them in Dallas. Prosecutors hope the Landslide bust will signal an end to the relative ease with which people have been peddling the illegal material over the Internet, but say they know the problem is not likely to go away anytime soon. "It's a major case. It's like we caught the head of three (drug) cartels. And it will have repercussions," said Coggins. "But it would be extremely naïve to say this is the end of it. It's huge and there are hundreds of these webmasters out there."

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