Australian police on Wednesday said they have busted an international pedophilia network stretching from Australia to the United States and Europe and comprised of 2,500 “clients” who traded images of children being brutally sexually abused.
Authorities in Australia conducted raids and arrests on Feb. 29 not only in Australia and the U.S. but also in Britain and Germany, according to Reuters. Work on the sting — coordinated by the FBI and called Operation Achilles — has been ongoing since January 2006.
More than 40 children have been rescued and 22 members of the network been taken into custody as part of the operation, Reuters reported. The pedophilia ring had customers in at least 19 countries, and police confiscated thousands of videos, photos and computers in the bust.
“It will be alleged that the network traded images depicting the violent sexual abuse of children globally, including having children sexually abused live and on demand for the benefit of its members,” police in the Australian state of Queensland said in a statement, according to Reuters.
In all, more than 400,000 pictures, video files and other images showing children engaged in sexual behavior were produced, advertised, traded and distributed globally in the online pornography ring, according to U.S. and international authorities. The sting, which started in Australia, also netted accused pornographers in England, Canada and Germany.
Some victims were as young as 5 years old. Others were preyed upon for innocent characteristics such as wearing their hair in pigtails.
Authorities won’t say how they eventually broke through several layers of encryption, background checks and other security measures the pornographers used to protect their online user group from being accessed.
Twelve U.S. men were indicted with participating in a global child pornography ring that distributed more than 400,000 pictures and videos of children engaged in sexual activities. FBI and international authorities called the online ring, which was encrypted to keep investigators out, one of the most sophisticated child pornography operations in recent memory.
The men were charged with engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy, advertisement of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and obstruction of justice. They were:
-Michael Berger, 33, of Mechanicsville, Va.
-James Freeman, 47, of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
-Ruble Keys, 55, of Medford, Ore.
-Gary Lakey, 54, of Anderson, Ind.
-Marvin Lambert, 33, of Indianapolis.
-Neville McGarity, 40, of Medina, Texas.
-John Mosman, 46, of Waterbury, Conn.
-Warren Mumpower, 63, of Spokane, Wash.
-Raymond Roy, 54, of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
-Erik Wayerski, 46, of Round Rock, Texas.
-Warren Weber, 56, of Boise, Idaho.
-Ronald White, 59, of Burlington, N.C.
Additionally, two other men were charged in connection with the ring but not included in the indictment. They were:
-Stepan Bondarenko, 38, of Philadelphia.
-Daniel Castleman, 43, of Lubbock, Texas.
Source: U.S. Justice Department.