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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty in International Child Pornography Ring
A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to participating in an international child pornography ring, authorities announced yesterday.
David Michael Fagerness, 44, of the Atlanta area, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to conspiracy to transport child pornography. Fagerness faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence and sentencing is scheduled for June 6, 2011.
The international investigation, dubbed the ‘Lost Boy’ online bulletin board, resulted in the shutdown of the secret Internet forum approximately two years ago. Federal authorities, working in conjunction with a coalition of international law enforcement agencies, dismantled the ring.
As a result of the investigation, 16 named defendants have been charged in the United States for their roles in the ring. To date, five defendants have pleaded guilty for their roles, and an additional two defendants have agreed to plead guilty. An additional eight defendants who are alleged to be Lost Boy members currently face federal charges, including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, Fagerness admitted to participating in the Lost Boy bulletin board, which allowed approximately three dozen members to trade thousands of images and videos of child pornography depicting young boys in sexually explicit situations.
The investigation revealed that the Lost Boy bulletin board used sophisticated vetting procedures to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and enable its users to produce and share child pornography, while also developing a handbook on how to groom potential victims.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division praised the international cooperation in the case, saying, ‘Through unprecedented cooperation with foreign law enforcement partners, we have brought down a global online group whose principal purpose was to victimize children.’
U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. added, ‘The Lost Boy bulletin board allowed members to access pornographic images of hundreds of boys who were victimized for sexual purposes.’
The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office worked closely with international law enforcement agencies to dismantle the Lost Boy ring. The investigation is ongoing, with several defendants still facing charges.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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