The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

Operation AchillesAPPENDIX A THREAT ASSESSMENT: LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS Operation Achilles (initiated June 2006, charges filed 2008, trial 2009), conducted by the FBI,targeted and dismantled an international and highly sophisticated 60-member group that usedInternet newsgroups to trade more than 400,000 images of child pornography over the suspectedcourse of 15 years. This group included a number of dangerous child sex abusers. The group washighly sophisticated, using complex encryption, identity anonymizers, other technicalprotections, and strict rules of procedure to avoid detection. It took 18 months of intensiveinvestigative effort for the FBI, working closely with foreign law enforcement partners fromQueensland, Australia, among others, to dismantle the group. Despite those efforts, 38 membersof the group remain unidentified (including the group administrator). In addition to tradingimages between group members, some of whom boasted collections in excess of one (1) millionimages, the group contracted for and facilitated the sexual abuse of children, including veryyoung children, to generate new child pornographic images for the group. Twenty-two membersof the group were ultimately identified and located, including 14 individuals in the United States.Of the 14 U.S. defendants, at least five (5) were active molesters. Three (3) of those had priorconvictions for the sexual molestation of children and had served prison sentences. Thisinvestigation resulted in the rescue of nine (9) American child victims, in addition to at least five(5) foreign victims. This case represented one of the largest digital seizures in the history of theFBI; over 57 terabytes of data. The investigation and forensics required highly-sophisticatedtechnological skills to overcome complex encryption and other emerging technologies. 97 As aresult of this investigation, a newly passed Child Exploitation Enterprise statute which carries amandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, never attempted before by any law enforcementagency was utilized. Of the 14 U.S. citizens charged in a 40 count indictment, seven (7) enteredguilty pleas and the remaining seven (7) defendants participated in a joint/simultaneous trial.Sentences ranged from 20 to 30 years in prison with one (1) defendant receiving 13 years inprison. The other seven (7) defendants received life sentences.Operation AvalancheUSPIS, in coordination with ICE, Dallas ICAC and the U.S. Department of Justice/ChildExploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), through Operation Avalanche (1999-2000, unveiledAugust 8, 2001) dismantled a multi-million dollar commercial child pornography business andtargeted the paid subscribers to various web sites containing child pornography and bearingnames such as “Child Rape” and “Children Forced to Porn.” The web sites were promoted andmade available to paying customers by Landslide Productions, Inc., of Fort Worth, Texas.Landslide charged a fee of approximately $29.95 per month to the subscribers. Records seized97Seven of the 14 U.S. defendants pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 164 months (for acooperating defendant) to 365 months in prison. The remaining 7 were convicted at trial, and all received lifesentences.A-1