October 20, 2014
"Operation MasqueRAID” Targets People Trading Child Pornography
Decatur, GA – As a result of a three month proactive investigation coordinated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, 44 search warrants were executed in 31 counties today. Law enforcement officers conducting the searches were looking for evidence of distribution of child pornography using the internet.
This state-wide endeavor, known as Operation MasqueRAID, began in July 2014 and centered on GBI agents, along with local and federal Georgia ICAC Task Force affiliates, detecting child pornography images being shared using the internet. The purpose of the operation was to arrest persons who possessed, produced, or distributed images of child pornography using the internet. The targets of Operation MasqueRAID were the most prolific offenders of child pornography laws.
At the time of this release 595 digital devices have been seized and 18 arrests have been made as a result of evidence and information obtained during the search warrants. Those arrested have been charged with OCGA 16-12-100.2, Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 2007. More arrests are expected.
The following people were arrested today:
Ian Squires, 30, of Paulding County |
William Roach, 27, of Fulton County |
Jonathon Earls, 24, of Habersham County |
Clark Bowen, 47, of Rabun County |
Chauncey Jones, 34, of Clayton County |
Jose A. Clemente-Sanchez, 31, of Elbert County |
Mauricio Morales-Garcia, 32, of Fulton County |
Dwight Davis, 20, of Polk County |
William Rosado-Vazquez, 49, of Douglas County |
James Petry, 80, of Fannin County |
Devin Lewis, 42, of Upson County |
Christian Harris, 23, of Cobb County |
Rodney Cook, 49, of Clarke County |
Jerry Griffin, 73, of Forsyth County |
Glasford Simpson, 36, of Gwinnett County |
David Hornick, 37, of Union County |
George Adams, 18, of Wilcox County Thomas Lagomasino, 22, of Forsyth County |
The operation was a coordinated effort between the following local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies:
- Acworth Police Department
- Alpharetta Police Department
- Atlanta Police Department
- Athens-Clarke County Police Department
- Camden Sheriff’s Office
- Cobb County Police Department
- Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
- Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
- Effingham County Sheriff’s Office
- Forsyth Sheriff’s Office
- Gwinnett Police Department
- Hall County SWAT Team
- Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
- Lamar County Sheriff’s Office
- Lawrenceville Police Department
- Liberty County Sheriff’s Office
- Marietta Police Department
- Paulding CO Sheriff’s Office
- Sandy Springs Police Department
- Smyrna Police Department
- Snellville Police Department
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- Georgia Department of Corrections
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Homeland Security Investigations
- United States Attorney’s Office
- United States Postal Inspectors Service
- United States Secret Service
The Georgia ICAC Task Force is comprised of 200+ local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, other related criminal justice agencies and prosecutor’s offices. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the U. S. Department of Justice and managed and operated by the GBI in Georgia, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing an effective response to cyber enticement and child pornography cases. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention, and community education. The ICAC Program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC program delivers national resources at the local level.
The Georgia ICAC Task Force made 198 arrests in 2013 and has made over 1,300 arrests since its inception in 2002. The Georgia ICAC Task Force website is www.familyinternet.info and the GBI website is http://gbi.georgia.gov/.
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