POLK COUNTY, FL – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrest of four people who are accused of possessing child pornography.
Additionally, one of the suspects was holding a child against their will and were rescued by law enforcement.
Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested four men during an undercover child pornography investigation, according to an agency news release. https://t.co/UF5VNMluZi
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) December 10, 2021
Sheriff Judd announced that his office received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, that there were suspects who were in Polk County, Florida that were downloading images which were suspected to be child pornography.
NCMEC monitors electronic communications and any time a sexually explicit image that possibly depicts a child comes up, they send that information to the law enforcement jurisdiction for follow up.
Based upon the information from NCMEC, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office launched a cyber undercover operation in hopes of identifying and apprehending those responsible.
The investigation was a success and the Sheriff’s Office was able to identify Melvin Lagos, Jr, Christian Pillot-Osorio, Billy “Jordan” Rose, and Ian Gadd (convicted child sex predator) as the suspected offenders.
Four Polk County men were caught and accused of possessing and sharing child porn. One of them even recorded the sexual abuse of a child he knew, detectives said. https://t.co/NyL3yGo7wi
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) December 10, 2021
Armed with the information, the Sheriff’s detectives authored search warrants for each of the four suspects’ houses. What they found was disgusting to say the least. Judd said:
“These suspects – who are the worst of the worst – used common social media apps, like Instagram, Snapchat, and Kik to transmit and download child pornography. This is clear proof that these horrific images are easier than ever to find and share. Each time an image is downloaded or shared, the victim in that image is re-victimized.”
On December 10th, Judd noted that the investigation resulted in the following charges for Gadd:
Gadd, charged with two counts of transmission of child pornography and 89 counts of enhanced possession of child pornography. Detectives who did a cursory review of Gadd’s phone reported victims who appeared as young as 3 years old being sexually battered.
Gadd was additionally charged with 10 counts of using a child in a sexual performance, 10 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child and 11 counts of sexual battery on a child less than 12 years old. He is currently being held in the Polk County Jail without bond.
Judd said:
“He [Gadd] told us, during this investigation, the only reason he stopped transmitting child porn was because Instagram blocked him.”
Four men in Polk County are facing charges for possessing and transmitting child pornography, the sheriff's office announced on Friday. One of the men is also facing charges for sexually battering a 12-year-old and filming it. https://t.co/7r4TAzwacw
— ABC Action News (@abcactionnews) December 10, 2021
Judd said that Gadd also had a three-year-old child that he had been allegedly sexually abusing prior to his arrest. He said that the young child was groomed for roughly three months before he began to engage in sexual acts with the child.
Lagos has been charged with 32 counts of enhanced possession of child pornography. Detectives noted that they discovered children who appeared to be as young as 8 years of age being sexually battered on an electronic device.
Lagos is currently being held in the Polk County Jail on a $32,000 bond.
Pillot-Osorio has been charged with four counts of transmission of child pornography and 33 counts of enhanced possession of child pornography on an electronic device he had in his control.
Judd noted that the victims allegedly found on Pillot-Osorio’s device contained images of children as young 5 months old being sexually battered in some manner.
Pillot-Osorio allegedly told investigators that he had been using Snapchat and other social media apps to send and receive the disturbing images. He is currently being held in the Polk County Jail without bond.
According to Judd, Rose was charged with 38 counts of enhanced possession of child pornography after detectives did an initial overview of his electronic devices.
Those images reportedly showed children as young as 2 years old being sexually abused.
Rose allegedly focused his sexual attention towards infants and allegedly admitted to using Kik Messenger to find his child pornography. Rose is being held in the Polk County Jail on a $585,000 bond.
Judd noted that the investigation into these four people is far from over. He said:
“Please understand [the counts] are just initial charges at the time of the search warrant. We have not gone through all of their different electronic devices. That will occur over the next weeks.
There’s a great likelihood, because we usually find additional child porn, for which they will be charged in the future…We continue to encourage parents to be all up in their child’s business – no matter how old their child is. We want these suspects locked up so that they never have access to children.”
Shocking report shows multiple CIA employees, contractors committed child sex crimes but were never prosecuted
Of the 10 employees and contractors who reportedly abused children sexually, only one was charged with a crime.
One.
The disturbing documents came to light when BuzzFeed News obtained them via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits that originated in 2012.
The path to obtaining the reports by the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General was not easy.
The news group had to make 13 public records requests and file three separate FOIA lawsuits before gaining access to the documents.
BuzzFeed reported:
“Those requests, the earliest of which date back to 2012, were for investigations closed by the Office of the Inspector General, which acts independently of the agency to examine misconduct by employees or contractors.
“New requests were filed each subsequent year. At first the CIA did not respond to the requests; then, it said it would take years to provide any documents.
“Those requests were followed in 2014, 2015, and 2020 by lawsuits, and the agency entered into negotiations about what documents to release.
“The coronavirus pandemic delayed the process by a year, but the agency finally began to release the documents in March and will release the final set in December.”
There are 3,652 pages uploaded for the public’s review. Several are heavily redacted, and the names of accused employees and contractors and details about their jobs remain hidden.
The agency cited privacy reasons, national security and a federal law that exempts the CIA from disclosing details about its operations.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia told BuzzFeed:
“Not knowing the identities of the suspects is a hindrance in identifying these cases and why they were declined.”
BuzzFeed noted:
“Though most of these cases were referred to US attorneys for prosecution, only one of the individuals was ever charged with a crime.
“Prosecutors sent the rest of the cases back to the CIA to handle internally, meaning few faced any consequences beyond the possible loss of their jobs and security clearances.
“That marks a striking deviation from how sex crimes involving children have been handled at other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“CIA insiders say the agency resists prosecution of its staff for fear the cases will reveal state secrets.”
The news group combed through thousands of the CIA’s internal reports and discovered one employee was fired for having sexual contact with a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old.
A second employee resigned after it was discovered he had purchased three sexually explicit videos of young girls, who were filmed by their own mothers.
A third employee estimated that he had viewed up to 1,400 sexually abusive images of children while on agency assignments. He also acknowledged he searched for child sex abuse images while he was a college student.
BuzzFeed reported:
“The CIA employee signed an affidavit admitting he used a government laptop to view photographs and videos of girls as young as 10 being abused by an ‘older guy.’
“The employee acknowledged that he first began seeking child sexual abuse images while he was in college, and viewed as many as 1,400 while on assignment for the agency.”
Unbelievably, the CIA employee also pleaded ignorance about the illegality of accessing child pornography:
“He told CIA investigators that he was ‘truly sorry’ but also said ‘he did not understand that it was a violation of agency policy to access child pornography until he took the Agency Information Security Course.’”
The records do not say what action, if any, the CIA took against him, according to BuzzFeed.
It is also unknown how a CIA background check did not flag the man’s interest in child pornography.
One contractor for the CIA arranged for sex with an undercover FBI agent posing as a child. His contract was merely revoked.
BuzzFeed reported its summary of the cases’ limited details:
“Of the 10 workers who the inspector general found had committed sexual crimes involving children, five were fired or resigned.
“Four others were referred to a personnel board or the Office of Security, which investigates classified leaks and is responsible for the safety of CIA facilities.
“The outcome of one case — in which 10 child sexual abuse images were discovered on a CIA computer that had been left unattended — is unknown.
“The employee to whom that device was assigned said he switched computers while he was overseas. He denied using it to view such material.
“In an eleventh case, the inspector general received a complaint in November 2016 that an employee used a government computer to view child sexual abuse images.
“Although the investigators couldn’t corroborate the allegation, they discovered that he had shown a ‘consistent interest and pattern of [redacted] conversations involving sexual activities between adults and minors.’
“The inspector general alerted security officials and the Directorate of Science and Technology because the accusation raised ‘potential security and accountability issues.’
“Details of how the case was resolved, and any penalties the employee faced, are redacted.”
The other issue is why federal prosecutors chose not to charge most of the accused despite seemingly significant and credible evidence.
Prosecutors use their discretion in determining whether or not to bring criminal charges based on a few factors.
For example, prosecutors evaluate whether they have enough evidence to convince a jury. Also, they note if a victim wants a prosecution to proceed or not.
The spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia told BuzzFeed:
“The occupation or employer of the suspect does not factor into that evaluation.
“While we cannot comment on the reasons why specific cases were declined, we do take very seriously any allegation that our prosecutors declined a potential case based on an improper assessment of the relevant factors.”
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‘Enough already’: Sig Sauer announces major backing of national ‘re-fund the police’ campaign
NEWINGTON, NH – Law Enforcement Today is pleased to share that Sig Sauer, highly respected and immensely popular leader in the firearms industry, has joined us as a corporate sponsor in our campaign to “Re-Fund the Police.”
As a Law Enforcement Today reader, you know that we have put forth a campaign to back the blue and support re-funding efforts, while calling attention to both the adverse effects of defunding the police, and the positive effects that our dedicated protectors in law enforcement create every single day.
In this campaign, we put out a call for individual and corporate sponsors to join us in this mission.
Sig Sauer, with its honorable and lengthy history of supporting law enforcement, answered that call with a generous donation, standing with us and with our brothers and sisters in blue.
From its humble beginnings as a German gun company in 1751 and a Swiss wagon factory in 1853 who merged in 1875 to its current status as a firearms industry leader, Sig Sauer has remained synonymous with expert, state-of-the art craftsmanship and reliability.
Sig Sauer has also cultivated a close working relationship with law enforcement over the decades of its existence, marrying its expertise with the needs of those who serve.
As the Sig Sauer website states:
“It is the largest member of a worldwide business group of firearms manufacturers that includes J.P. Sauer & Sohn and Blaser, Gmbh. in Germany.
“This global network of companies gives SIG SAUER a world-class firearms knowledge base, unparalleled design expertise, and extensive manufacturing capacity, enabling the company to respond quickly and effectively to changing market conditions and the needs of its military, law enforcement, and commercial markets worldwide.”
In addition to state-of-the art equipment such as firearms, ammunition, optics, suppressors, and air guns, Sig also provides top-of-the line training for law enforcement officers and others.
Sig Sauer Academy, located in Epping, NH, offers firearms and tactics training to everyone from first-time gun owners to the most elite levels of law enforcement and military. This facility “features state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor ranges, tactical training areas, urban environments, a shoot house, a maritime training area, and a force-on-force village.”
We recently sat down with Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive VP of Commercial Sales, to learn more about Sig Sauer’s decision to back our campaign to “Re-fund the Police.”
Taylor told us:
“The minute we heard the concept, it resonated with us here at Sig Sauer, because it’s so disgusting to us, the whole “defund the police” mentality….
“The police were already shorthanded, there’s never enough training, there’s never enough equipment, there’s never enough people, there’s never enough resources.
“And then you throw at them this ‘defund the police’ mess, to put it politely.”
He added:
“It just disgusts us, when we see specific incidents of police agencies like Austin, who have gone so all-in to this concept of taking resources away from an operation that is already underfunded.
“Who is going to help save lives when they’re needed? It’s harder and harder to get police officers where they’re needed, on time, because of a lack of resources….
“You hear the 911 calls where people are calling in the middle of a riot in Atlanta, and they say, we’re really sorry but there are no police officers to send to your aid right now.
“It’s disgusting.”
Taylor explained further that raising money is itself important, but the plans to raise awareness and share the truth with the public are equally significant.
He continued:
“I think it’s important to educate the public that there’s a problem….
“No matter how much money we raise in this effort, it’s also very important that we let the world know that the police need resources and they need money.”
Taylor added that a further advantage to educating the public would be to improve the reputation of law enforcement as a career.
He told us:
“We also need to try to re-engage young people to be police officers, because that used to be such a noble and admirable thing, and now it’s becoming so difficult to be a police officer, and to have young people aspire to be in law enforcement.
“We want to communicate to the world that it’s ok to be a cop.”
Taylor expanded further upon Sig Sauer’s ties with law enforcement, saying:
“It’s in our DNA…. We work closely [at Sig Sauer Academy] with military and law enforcement….
“It’s a big part of who our Academy personnel are; they are all current or former military and cops… and so they are such thought leaders for our company for both training and equipment and importantly, mindset.
“When we are developing a new product, we go talk to them.”
He added:
“Our CEO [Ron Cohen] served in the Israeli military for five years, and our dedication to supporting law enforcement and military runs so deep in this company…. The moment I mentioned the ‘refunding the police’ concept to our CEO, he immediately wanted to support this cause.”
Taylor concluded:
“We absolutely want to let the world know how much we support the thousands of police agencies and hundreds of thousands of officers who carry our products, and those who don’t….
“It doesn’t matter what product they use, they need our support.
“We are doing this because we have so much respect for our police officers, and it is very disappointing that a part of our society allowed something called ‘defund the police’ to become part of our culture, truly sad.”
In addition to its generous financial support, Sig Sauer will also be throwing its own marketing efforts behind the “Re-Fund the Police” campaign, amplifying the message on their social networks.
To learn more about Sig Sauer products and training, visit Sig Sauer at their website, SigSauer.com.
You can also follow Sig Sauer on their Facebook page, their Twitter feed, their Instagram account, and their LinkedIn account.
Law Enforcement Today is immensely grateful for Sig Sauer’s strong stand to support all those who protect and serve, and we look forward to working together with Sig to “Re-Fund Our Police” and expand public understanding of the the daily good deeds of our protectors in blue, as well as the adverse effects of defunding the police.
“Re-Fund the Police”: Law Enforcement Today launches nationwide campaign for Americans to back the blue
Editor note: In 2020, we saw a nationwide push to “defund the police”. While we all stood here shaking our heads wondering if these people were serious… they cut billions of dollars in funding for police officers. And as a result, crime has skyrocketed – all while the same politicians who said “you don’t need guns, the government will protect you” continued their attacks on both our police officers and our Second Amendment rights.
And that’s exactly why we’re launching this national crowdfunding campaign as part of our efforts to help “re-fund the police”.
For those looking for a quick link to get in the fight and support the cause, click here.
—
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – You back the Blue. You support the police. You quietly buy an officer a cup of coffee at your local coffeehouse. You bring homemade cookies to your local police station. You make it a point to thank an officer when you see one out in public.
You watch the news, aghast to see crowds of anti-police protesters and rioters committing acts of violence and massive property damage. You pray daily for the Blue family.
And yet, you may feel quite alone.
Politicians and the mainstream news media would have you think that police support is at an all-time low.
Some of you may have found it necessary to take down your Thin Blue Line flags from your house, or to scrape off the Thin Blue Line sticker from your vehicles, due to the potential for violent retaliation by those who hate the police.
Yes, it is the loudest voices that are the ugliest. They revile and attack those who back the Blue. They call, “Defund the Police!” at every turn, fueled by the lie that police officers are racists who are out to kill.
But you are actually in excellent company in your support of the blue family.
According to a Gallup poll, 85% of Americans support law enforcement. That means supporters of the Thin Blue Line are 285 million strong.
That would be 285 million who, like you, refuse join in the calls to defund the police.
And that means you are in the company of those who have logic and reason on their side.
After all, we at Law Enforcement Today bring you stories daily of exploding crime in police-defunded areas such as Austin, Portland, New York City, or Los Angeles.
Homicide rates since defunding are up 58% in Atlanta, up 533% in Portland, and up 37% in Philadelphia.
Shootings in post-defunded New York City are up 64%, and they are up 51% in Los Angeles and up 18% in Chicago.
In addition, you have also followed our disturbing and often tragic stories of attacks on police officers in the era of police defunding.
Felonious attacks on police are on the rise, as documented by the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Data Collection.
According to LEOKA:
“The 50 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the first 8 months of 2021 represent a 51.5 percent increase compared to the 33 officers killed during the same period in 2020.”
Also thanks to defunding, police departments across the country now lack training, resources, and equipment. Ironically, calls for additional training in cultural awareness, de-escalation, and use of force often have to go unheeded due to the lack of financial resources.
Another irony is that the push to do away with less-lethal options such as Tasers and tear gas will simply lead to more fatal police shootings.
These alarming stories and statistics indicate beyond a doubt that defunding the police is absolutely the wrong move for this great country. You know this, yet you and 285 million other voices are all too often silenced by social pressures as well as physical threats of violence.
You are even told, “Silence is violence,” when it comes to refusing to stand against law enforcement.
Your voice matters, and you need to be heard.
As Law Enforcement Today National Spokesman Kyle Reyes points out:
“Americans have stood by in disbelief as this ‘defund the police’ movement has spread across America and ravaged our communities.
“We’ve watched our cities burn, our officers be attacked and violence skyrocket.
“It’s time to come out of the twilight zone. It’s time to fight back.”
Law Enforcement Today, the nation’s largest police-owned media outlet, has developed a way to make your voice heard and oppose those who would seek to remove funding from those who protect and serve.
It’s called the “Re-Fund the Police” campaign.
Reyes explains:
“We wanted to make the “Re-fund the Police” campaign something that everyone- whether you can spare $1 or $1 million – can be a part of.
“People will donate to politicians all day long in hopes that person will get elected and possibly make a difference.
“We are asking for people to come forward and support those who make a difference and save lives every single day.”
Through your generous donations, Law Enforcement today will direct a media and advertising blitz to rally other Americans who, like you, are done with attacks on law enforcement, both physical and financial.
Here’s what the funds go towards:
- We’ve assembled a “strike team” of researchers and reporters who will delve deeply into the devastating impact that defunding the police has on communities and families. They’re going after not just the “leaders” in Congress who are pushing to defund the police… but they’re exposing everyone from the local politicians and city councils who are behind it. They’re also tracing the money of exactly who is funding this “defund the police” movement.
- We will focus on publicizing all the negative effects of defunding police while expressing support for our brothers and sisters in blue. The advertising blitz will be a show of support for police officers all across America.
In addition, we will be sending a team of reporters into our communities to share positive stories of law enforcement, stories which are consistently ignored by the mainstream media.
As a thank-you for your generosity in standing strong for the blue family, we are offering access codes for Law Enforcement Today’s Wounded Officer documentary and Border Crisis documentary. In addition, we offer additional perks such as stickers and Thin Blue Line face masks or yard signs.
Donors are also able to honor or memorialize a member of the blue family.
For those who cannot afford to contribute, we invite you to be a part of a nationwide chain of prayer warriors.
You can join our prayer chain along with other supporters who are willing to pray for our brothers and sisters in blue.
Also, when you sign up for our newsletter, we will keep you informed on how we are continuing to back the Blue, and bring you the stories the mainstream media will not touch.
Now to small businesses who are sick and tired of watching our cities burn as the “defund the police” movement spreads.
For business donors, we are pleased to offer a unique opportunity to make a difference in police departments across the country.
Reyes explains:
“We wanted to make sure small businesses could get in the fight, so we are rolling out the ‘adopt a police department’ program.”
Your business donation will be used to cover stories in the community of your choice, and expose those who are attempting to defund the police. Those stories, if you choose, will also include a thank you to your business and a link back to your business website.
In addition, your generous business donation will go toward advertising campaigns that highlight the negative effects of demonizing and defunding the police.
This will give you the opportunity to show to millions of Americans that, unlike “woke” anti-police organizations, you support and appreciate law enforcement.
Reyes points out:
“Corporate America rallied around the Black Lives Matter movement, donating hundreds of millions of dollars to a campaign that brought widespread looting and destruction in our cities.
“This is an opportunity for businesses to show America that law and order and keeping people safe still means something to them.”
Please join your voice with Law Enforcement Today in this campaign to support all those who protect and serve us.
We invite you to visit the Re-Fund the Police website for further information.
If you have questions, or you want to start your own fundraising team, feel free to email us at [email protected]
It’s time to get in the fight.
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