“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 CountyThomas Lagomasino, 22, of Forsyth County

 

The operation was a coordinated effort between the following local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies:

 

  1. Acworth Police Department
  2. Alpharetta Police Department
  3. Atlanta Police Department
  4. Athens-Clarke County Police Department
  5. Camden Sheriff’s Office
  6. Cobb County Police Department
  7. Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
  8. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
  9. Effingham County Sheriff’s Office
  10. Forsyth Sheriff’s Office
  11. Gwinnett Police Department
  12. Hall County SWAT Team
  13. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
  14. Lamar County Sheriff’s Office
  15. Lawrenceville Police Department
  16. Liberty County Sheriff’s Office
  17. Marietta Police Department
  18. Paulding CO Sheriff’s Office
  19. Sandy Springs Police Department
  20. Smyrna Police Department
  21. Snellville Police Department
  22. Georgia Bureau of Investigation
  23. Georgia Department of Corrections
  24. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
  25. Federal Bureau of Investigation
  26. Homeland Security Investigations
  27. United States Attorney’s Office
  28. United States Postal Inspectors Service
  29. 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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