'Operation Candyman' targets child porn

Associated Press ^ | March 18, 2002 | A/P Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

'Operation Candyman' targets child porn

FBI probe began in Houston office

03/18/2002

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Federal law enforcement authorities have broken up a computer-based pornography ring that targeted children, Attorney General John Ashcroft said.

Announcing "Operation Candyman," Ashcroft said Monday that more than 80 people have been charged in the operation and said more arrests are coming.

One of the Texas suspects, from Henderson County, was scheduled to be arraigined in Tyler Monday afternoon.

"As its name implies, the 'Operation Candyman' e-group had a single purpose in mind as well: to exploit and degrade children," Ashcroft told a news conference at FBI headquarters here.

"It is clear that a new marketplace for child poronography has emerged from the dark corners of cyberspace," he said. "Innocent boys and girls have been targeted by offenders who view them as sexual objects."

Holding a news conference with FBI officials, Ashcroft revealed that the sting operation, which began in January 2001 at the FBI's Houston office, is ongoing.

"In the past 14 months," he said, "all 56 national FBI field offices investigated hundreds of individuals who were subscibers to the 'Candyman' email group." Ashcroft said that among those caught in the sting were police officers, members of the clergy and -- in one case -- a bus driver.

He said that prior to Monday's announcement, the FBI had arrested 86 people "on child pornography grounds" and that 27 members of the "Candyman" email group have been arrested and admitted to molesting 36 children.

Ashcroft told reporters federal authorities have shut down the email group and will to shut down others as well. "Our investigation uncovered an estimated 7,000 members (of the email group), including some 2,400 outside our borders," he said.

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/031802dnnatchildporncrackdown.1cf181b.html

[MeekOneGOP]

http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/031802dnnatchildporncrackdown.1cf181b.html

[Callahan]

Was Willard a member?

[Recovering_Democrat]

Gosh. I don't recall too many child porn busts during the eight years of impeached42.

[Kay]

Heard on the radio that they arrested clergy along with others in this sting. That log in our own eye is bigger than the splinter in the other person's eye but we can't see our own logs. Wonder why. And we sure can't take it out by ourselves, can we?

[hsmomx3]

When I heard that it was a schoolbus driver and some who worked in govt. schools, I knew there was another reason for homeschooling!

[Palladin]

Right on, Home School Mom! If I were raising children today, I would never let them out of my sight.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for posting this -- I hope they nail the people that are participating in this! I find it totally disgusting!

[sinkspur]

Gosh. I don't recall too many child porn busts during the eight years of impeached42.

There weren't any.

In fact, Reno just wasn't interested in sex crimes at all. Wonder why?

[Truebador]

It has happened. "Thought-crime" has become a reality. Some of these perverts were busted for owning and sending this pornography. But others appear to have been guilty only of viewing it and thinking lustful thoughts. Not excusing child porno -- it's disgusting and depraved -- but to be punished simply for LOOKING at something that people invite you to look at does not seem criminal to me. It is thought-crime, not real crime. Real crime is making the porno and distributing it. But here, it is sometimes what the suspect is "thinking" that he is being arrested for.

Child porno is double-plus ungood.

But so is a society that seeks out and punishes thought-crime.

[DB]

Really?

Those kids were victims. Every person that looks at the product of these crimes on purpose is further victimizing the children. You have heard of "supply and demand" haven't you? Without that demand would there be as many victims?

As far as "thoughts" go, there were more than thoughts in action here. These people actively researched, pursued, exchanged and some created these items. Simply accidentally landing on a site with child porn does not make you part of the problem. Digging for it, creating a demand for it is.

And lastly, where in this article did you glean that any of these people were simply passive observers? How do you know that all arrested or about to be arrested didn't actually exchange and store these items themselves?

[Lurking Libertarian]

Gosh. I don't recall too many child porn busts during the eight years of impeached42.

There weren't any.

Actually, the Reno Justice Department did prosecute kiddy porn. What they didn't do, as a matter of policy, was prosecute any porn cases not involving children. Ashcroft has said he will change that.

[DB]

Also, your Email address doesn't show up on these sites by simply "watching". You have to provide it for the purpose of furthering participating in the going on's there. To get that far isn't passive "thought" involvement. Those that did simply watched were not traceable or for that matter even prosecutable.

[xm177e2]

This isn't an issue of "thoughtcrime!" It's an issue of whether or not someone has child pornography in their computer's hard drive (and the internet cache doesn't count, there has to be intent to posses it). That's an objective standard. I assume being on that email list meant the people had illegal pornographic images sent to them, which they then downloaded and archived on their computers. It's an open and shut case, it doesn't even violate peoples' "right" to purposely look up child pornography on the web. "Thoughtcrime?" I don't think so.

[Texaggie79]

I partly agree with you. I think simply imprisoning these people and labeling them monsters is counter-productive. I think people found guilty of only viewing and not the actual production should be put into mandatory treatment. Sticking them in a jail cell does not address their mental illness. And unless you plan to keep them in there forever, it helps nothing.

[DB]

The success rate of treating sexual deviants is practically nil. Either you're going to have to imprison them, fine them or let them go on their merry way unrestricted.

[Texaggie79]

The success rate of treating sexual deviants is practically nil.

If they haven't acted out, they aren't actually deviant. And there are many support groups out there that help. It's just like with drugs. Many people can't do it on their own.

But labeling them monsters, and calling for them to be beheaded does not help in these people seeking out help.

I saw a guy on O'Reilly the other night from the Mayo clinic. He is one of the few people out there that is calling not calling these people evil scum and he has treated many people with the condition.

The sooner we stop having witch trials for people who have not actually hurt a child, and we start directing them to get help, the sooner that this stuff will decrease.

(In case you wonder where I get all this, I grew up with a Mom that ran 12 step groups)

[Calico Cat]

Not so, Truebador. What these people are guilty of is knowing that a CRIME (child sexual abuse) has been committed, having the evidence in their possession and not contacting law enforcement. That's not thought control; that's criminal conduct.

[Texaggie79]

Actually, if you want to get technical. The real crime is the violation of the child's rights by viewing them being exploited without their consent. And since they are minors, they are incapable of consenting, their rights are violated.

[PhiKapMom]

Where is the Freeper outrage about this? I would have thought there would have been comments all over these threads. I don't understand it! I find it disgusting and as far as I am concerned they should lock people up and throw away the key. Anyone that viewed it without sending it to the authorities is sick in my book!

[WarHawk42]

The story is also in the Houston Chronicle.

This world has a bunch of sick puppies in it IMO.

WarHawk42