Harout Hagop Sarafian, Child Pornography, California 2012

North Hollywood Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Participating in International Child Pornography Ring

A North Hollywood man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in an international child pornography ring, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California, and Assistant Director in Charge Steve Martinez of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Harout Hagop Sarafian, 27, pleaded guilty in September 2011 to one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography. On April 2, 2012, co-defendant David Michael Fagerness, 45, of Alpharetta, Ga., was sentenced by Judge Virginia A. Phillips to 15 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for one count of conspiracy to transport child pornography.

The investigation into the Lost Boy online bulletin board was led by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in conjunction with the Los Angeles-based Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team. The High Technology Investigative Unit of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service also assisted in the investigation.

The Lost Boy bulletin board was dedicated to men who have a sexual interest in young boys and was established to provide a forum to trade child pornography. Federal authorities, working in conjunction with a coalition of international law enforcement agencies, shut down the Lost Boy bulletin board approximately three years ago.

As a result of the investigation, 16 named defendants, including Sarafian and Fagerness, were charged in the United States and arrested for their roles in the bulletin board. To date, 15 defendants have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial and one defendant died in custody.

The investigation also led to the identification of 27 domestic victims of child abuse, some of whom were portrayed in images posted to the Lost Boy bulletin board. Law enforcement authorities discovered the Lost Boy bulletin board after receiving information from Eurojust, the judicial cooperation arm of the European Union.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Michael E. McMahon of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deirdre Eliastam of the Central District of California.

Defendant Information:

• Defendant: Harout Hagop Sarafian
• City and State: North Hollywood, California
• Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to advertise child pornography
• Date: September 2011 (plea) and April 2, 2012 (sentencing)
• Sentence: 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release

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