Michigan Man Charged with Cyberstalking and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minor Victims

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that James S. Allen, 36, of New Baltimore, Michigan, has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with cyberstalking, trafficking in computer passwords, and making harassing telephone calls. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to complaint, between June 24, 2012 and August 14, 2012, the defendant utilized the Internet and text messages to communicate with at least 10 female victims in the Western District of New York, many of them minors, in an effort to obtain pornographic pictures of the minors. The complaint alleges that Allen would contact the victims and tell them that he found naked pictures of them on the Internet. The defendant then directed the victims to a specific website to view the pictures. In reality, the website was a front by which the defendant sought to surreptitiously obtain the victim’s private e-mail address and password—such a site is sometimes referred to by law enforcement as a “phishing” website.

Once the targeted victim input the requested information, the victim’s personal e-mail addresses and passwords went straight to the defendant via the Internet. The defendant thereafter seized control of the victim’s e-mail accounts, contacted the victims, and threatened that if they did not engage in a Skype video chat with him, he would distribute naked photos of the victims over the Internet. Once a victim and the defendant logged onto Skype (the defendant utilized the screen name “shhh.shhh”), Allen demanded that the victims take their clothes off and engage in sexual conduct, with the further threat that naked pictures of them would be sent out to all of Western New York if the girl did not comply. As a result of the defendant’s repeated and sustained harassment of the victims, many victims suffered substantial emotional distress.

The defendant was arrested this morning at his home in New Baltimore, Michigan. Allen will appear in federal court in Michigan for a detention hearing on September 17, 2012. Following those proceedings, an appearance will be scheduled in the Western District of New York.

“This case is another example of why it is imperative for parents to be vigilant in monitoring the computer usage of their children, and for any user of the Internet—including children—to be aware of some of the threats which exist online” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “In general, do not provide personal identifying information over the Internet unless the website is already known to be trustworthy. Further tips regarding online safety can by be found by visiting www.netsmartz.org or www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide. Finally, if you believe that you or someone you know may have had contact with the defendant, or a user on Skype with the screen name “shhh.shhh,” please call the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 1-800-320-0682 and leave a message with your contact information.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The arrest is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Hogsett Announces 30-Year Sentence for Woman Guilty of Production of Child Pornography

Evansville Woman Assisted Husband in Production of Child Pornography Involving Local Child

EVANSVILLE—“As a prosecutor, and as a parent, it is difficult to put into words damage done as a result of the horrific acts committed by these two people,” said Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, while announcing today that Emma Dell Hodge, age 44, of Evansville, was sentenced to 30 years in prison this morning by Chief United States District Judge Richard L. Young. This follows Ms. Hodge’s May 2, 2012 guilty plea to the charges of production of sexually explicit material involving minors and conspiracy to produce sexually explicit material involving minors. Today’s decision also follows the sentencing of Larry Everett Hodge, Ms. Hodge’s spouse, to 115 years in prison several weeks ago.

“Our hope is that through this prosecution and the sentences handed down by Judge Young, justice has been given to the young victim in this case and the healing process can begin,” Hogsett stated.

In November 2010, the Evansville Police Department responded to a report of child abuse from a concerned individual who had been sent images depicting the sexual abuse of a minor on her cell phone. That individual indicated that she had received the images from Larry Everett Hodge. Child abuse detectives were contacted to initiate an investigation.

Detectives went to the Hodge residence to speak with the couple, at which point it was immediately apparent that both knew about the abuse of the child, later identified as an 8-year-old female. Larry Hodge admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he had engaged in oral sex with the victim and was arrested on charges of child molestation.

The full extent of the abuse was later established during an examination of a Memorex data storage disc taken during a search of the Hodge residence. Agents identified at least seven separate digital photography sessions and two videos that were saved on the disc by Larry Hodge, all of which depicted sexual abuse of the minor. Some of the videos and images depicted sexual abuse by Larry Hodge himself, while others depicted sexual abuse by Emma Dell Hodge.

Further investigation revealed that the couple had gained access to the child by volunteering to assist the child’s parents by caring for the child after school and at various other times. Larry Hodge has also admitted to distributing the images and videos of the victim to a co-defendant, George K. Jackson. A sentencing hearing in the matter of Jackson is expected later today before Judge Young.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted the case for the government, Chief Judge Young also imposed lifetime supervision following Emma Hodge’s release from prison. During the period of supervised release, Hodge must comply with all sex offender registration laws, must not have unsupervised contact with minors, and must submit to an examination of any computer devices she uses.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Evansville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was brought as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

Owings Mills Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a Minor After Meeting on Facebook

“Child Molesters No Longer Need to Hang Out at Playgrounds and Shopping Malls”

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Joseph Anthony Kallash, age 31, of Owings Mills, Maryland, today to 15 years in prison, followed by supervised release for life, for sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography. Judge Bredar ordered that upon his release from prison, Kallash must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

“Child molesters no longer need to hang out at playgrounds and shopping malls, because they have 24/7 access to children in their bedrooms,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “If you let your child use a computer, smartphone, iPod, or any type of Internet-connected device without adult supervision, your child is in danger.”

“There is no refuge for child sexual predators who believe they can pursue their perverse behavior with impunity online; they cannot escape justice and there will be serious consequences for their actions,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge William Winter. “HSI special agents will continue to use the latest technology to collect evidence and track the activities of individuals and organized groups who sexually exploit children through the use of websites, chat rooms, newsgroups and peer-to-peer trading.”

According to his plea agreement, Kallash met a 15-year-old victim on Facebook in November 2010, while representing himself as a teenager. The victim was “introduced” to Kallash through Facebook by her 15-year-old friend. The friend had accepted Kallash’s online request to be a “friend” in the summer of 2010, and according to the friend, Kallash had sex with her at his residence in August of 2010.

In November 2010, Kallash picked up the victim and two of her friends who had skipped school and brought them to his residence. They drank alcohol, smoked marijuana, and watched a movie. Kallash took the victim to his bedroom, where they had sex.

On June 21, 2011, after the victim said she would not have sex with Kallash again, Kallash asked if he could have sex with the victim’s younger sister. When Kallash began asking her more about her younger sister, the victim called the Baltimore County Police.

Kallash was arrested and admitted having sex with the victim. Police executed a search warrant at his residence and seized two laptops, an external hard drive, iPod, and camera cell phone containing sexually explicit pictures of minors. These images included sexually explicit pictures of the victim’s friend, which Kallash had taken and later sent to the victim’s friend.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE-HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or its online tip form at http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, HSI Baltimore, and Baltimore County Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who prosecuted the case.

Linthicum Man Pleads Guilty to Using a Phone to Coerce a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity

Sent Over 200 Text Messages to What He Thought Was a 9-Year-Old Girl

BALTIMORE—David Mitchell Rowe, age 65, of Linthicum, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to using a cellular telephone to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare, Sr.; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to the plea agreement, in June of 2011, Rowe was a member of the swimming pool at a hotel in Linthicum, Maryland, where he befriended a 9-year-old girl, Jane Doe 1, who was spending time at the pool with her parents, who were staying at the hotel. Over the course of a few days, Rowe played games in the pool with Jane Doe 1, initially wrestling with Jane Doe 1 and later using his hand to touch Jane Doe’s vagina, over her bathing suit. On one occasion, Rowe exposed his penis to Jane Doe while she was underwater. On June 10, 2011, the day that Jane Doe’s family was scheduled to check out of the hotel, Rowe gave a small velvet bag to a lifeguard at the pool and asked the lifeguard to give the bag to Jane Doe 1. The lifeguard delivered the bag to the girl’s father. The bag contained a gold money clip with the name Dave engraved on it and the money clip held a folded picture of Rowe. On the back of the photo Rowe had written his address and phone numbers and requested that Jane Doe 1 “Write, Call, or Text please.”

Law enforcement was contacted and beginning on June 20, 2011, an undercover detective began a text message conversation with Rowe, assuming the identity of Jane Doe 1. The initial text message was, “Hi Mr. Dave remember me from the pool.” Rowe responded and continued to communicate with the detective, believing that the detective was Jane Doe 1, through June 23, 2011. In the text messages, Rowe said society would not allow them to be a couple, and that he would end up in jail. Rowe also discussed how he touched Jane Doe 1, and that he knew she was 9 years old. Rowe also described in detail sexually explicit activity in which Jane Doe 1 should engage, and further stated that he wanted to have sex with her and perform oral sex on her.

On June 22, 2011, Rowe arranged to meet with Jane Doe 1 the next day at a restaurant in Baltimore County, so that Rowe could perform oral sex on Jane Doe 1. On June 23, 2011, Rowe arrived at the restaurant parking lot and was placed under arrest. At the time of his arrest, Rowe had the phone he had been using to text message Jane Doe 1 (the detective). Rowe was driving a van, and the rear seats of the van were folded down, and a blanket and a pillow were spread out on the floor of the van.

After his arrest, Rowe admitted to law enforcement that he is sexually aroused by girls between the ages of 9 to 11 years old and disclosed that in the mid 1970s he molested an 11-year-old girl who was visiting his house, and that he exposed himself to the girl. Rowe also advised detectives that he molested a 9-year-old girl in 2011 when he was visiting the girl’s family in Texas. When law enforcement contacted them, both girls confirmed that Rowe had molested them.

As part of his plea agreement, Rowe must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Rowe faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison followed by up to lifetime of supervised release for use of interstate facilities to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity. U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg did not yet set a date for sentencing.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “resources” tab on the left of the page.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Anne Arundel County Police Department; Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.

New Charges for Montgomery Man Accused of Online Sextortion Plot

MONTGOMERY, AL—Christopher Patrick Gunn, 31, of Montgomery, is facing new criminal charges in connection with an online sextortion investigation that spans the globe. Earlier today, a federal grand jury sitting in Montgomery returned a superseding indictment charging Gunn with two counts of production of child pornography, three counts of interstate extortion, and three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity, in addition to the two counts of possession of child pornography with which he had already been charged, U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr., announced. The 10-count superseding indictment alleges that, over a period of more than two years, Gunn repeatedly used computers and interactive computer services to transmit threatening communications to hundreds of young girls ages 9 to 16 located throughout the United States and internationally.

The investigation of Gunn started in April 2011 by officers of the Prattville, Alabama Police Department, after female students at Prattville Junior High School complained that someone using the screen name “Tyler Mielke” had been soliciting them for inappropriate pictures over Facebook. Prattville investigators were able to trace an IP address for the bogus “Tyler Mielke” account back to Gunn’s residence in Montgomery and obtained and executed a state search warrant for his residence on April 14, 2011. The seized computers revealed evidence of the online sextortion plot under the account names “Tyler Mielke” and “Jason Lempke.”

Separate investigations conducted in September 2011 by the Biloxi, Mississippi Police Department and the Livingston Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office revealed that someone in the Montgomery area had been committing the very same crimes against young girls in those jurisdictions using Facebook accounts with the names “C.J. Harper” and “Dalton Powers.”

Based upon the information obtained from these investigations, the FBI was able to develop evidence that showed that Gunn was the person behind all of the criminal conduct. On March 20, 2012, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Gunn’s residence, where they discovered a cell phone and a laptop computer containing images and videos of child pornography.

Among the pictures that Gunn possessed were photos of several young girls posing in various states of undress and that appear to have been produced by the girls themselves using their cell phone cameras. These images corroborate information that the FBI’s investigation had already uncovered—that for over a year, Gunn had been repeatedly using fake Facebook profiles to extort nude photos and videos from underage girls in numerous states, including Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

According to the superseding indictment, Gunn used two principal methods of deception in furtherance of his extortion scheme.

The first scheme—dubbed “The New Kid Ruse”—allegedly began sometime in 2009 and continued until at least August 2011. Under that scheme, Gunn initiated contact with the minor victims by sending them a message over Facebook, pretending to be a new kid in town looking for friends. For this purpose, Gunn allegedly established and used a number of different online aliases, including Tyler Mielke, Jason Lempke, CJ Harper, Dalton Powers, Dalton Walthers, Daniel Applegate, and Daniel Rodgers. Once he had gained their trust through chatting, Gunn would ask the girls a series of personal questions, such as their bra sizes, their sexual histories, intimate details about their bodies, and so on. When they had finished divulging that personal information, Gunn would then ask the girls to send him a topless photo. If they refused, he would threaten to e-mail their intimate conversation to the school principal or post it on Facebook for everyone to see.

The second scheme—dubbed “The Justin Bieber Ruse”—allegedly began sometime in November 2011, or possibly even earlier, and continued until shortly before Gunn was arrested in March of this year. Under that scheme, Gunn is alleged to have initiated contact with the minor victims primarily by using Internet-based interactive video chat services, such as Omegle and Skype, pretending to be internationally famed pop star Justin Bieber. According to the superseding indictment, Gunn’s aliases for this ruse included “Justin Babin,” “justinqazabc123” and “suprise.suprise1.” Once he had convinced the minor victims that he was, in fact, Justin Bieber, Gunn would allegedly offer them free concert tickets, backstage passes, or some other fan-related benefits if they would agree to send him a webcam transmission or a photo of themselves with their breasts exposed.

Some of the minor victims of Gunn’s two extortion schemes complied to varying degrees with his demands; others did not. For those who complied, Gunn allegedly carried on his pattern of extortion by sending further demands and more threatening communications. For example, girls who provided a photo of themselves in nothing but underwear were extorted for topless photos. Those who provided topless photos were extorted for pictures of themselves completely naked. For the minor victims who continued to accede to his demands, Gunn would require them to appear on webcam and perform sexually explicit acts on themselves. If any of his demands were not met, Gunn would threaten to withhold the benefits he had promised the girls and/or to injure the girls’ reputations by publishing their compromising images and videos over the Internet.

The superseding indictment charges Gunn with extorting three identified young girls in Louisiana using the New Kid Ruse and with using numerous threatening communications to coerce two of the girls, ages 14 and 15, to produce child pornography. The FBI is currently working to identify additional victims of both schemes in numerous other states, including Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California. Members of the public who believe they may have information concerning these or related crimes are urged to contact the Montgomery Resident Agency of the FBI at (334) 263-1691.

If convicted of the charges currently pending against him, Gunn faces no less than 15 years and as much as 100 years in federal prison and could be ordered to spend the rest of his life on supervised release. On March 29, 2012, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles S. Coody ordered Gunn detained until trial, which is currently set for September 10, 2012.

This case is being investigated by the Montgomery Resident Agency of the FBI with assistance from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Prattville Police Department, the Biloxi Police Department, and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan D. Stump is prosecuting the case.

The indictment contains only charges, and the defendant is presumed innocent of those charges unless and until the government proves the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “Resources.”