Tag: child sex crimes

Tennessee Jury Convicts Ex-FBI Technician Who ‘Abused His Position of Trust’ to Prey on 14-Year-Old Girl

Tom Pappert
Justin Carroll

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday the conviction of a former electronics technician for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Tennessee who federal officials said abused his position to “prey” on a 14-year-old girl.

A press release from the DOJ reveals a jury in Middle Tennessee former FBI employee Justin Carroll “guilty of sexual exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, receipt of child pornography, and transfer of obscene material to an individual under the age of sixteen.”

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At Least 135 Educators Charged with Child Sex Crimes in 2022 Alone

Admin
man in handcuffs

In less than five months, at least 135 teachers, teachers’ aides, and other school employees across the country have been arrested and charged with various child sex crimes.

As reported by Fox News, the total of 135 does not account for arrests that haven’t been publicized, meaning the final total for the year 2022 thus far may be even higher. The 135 arrests have taken place across 41 states between January 1st and May 13th, averaging to about one arrest per day. Most of the suspects are men.

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Michigan High School Assistant Principal Charged for Alleged Child Sex Abuse

Peter D'Abrosca

A high school assistant principal who stands accused of sex crimes with a 10-year-old family member has been suspended with pay from his position at the school as he awaits trial, according to several reports. 

“Melven Conway, the assistant principal at Ecorse High School was arrested at the school Monday morning on criminal sexual conduct charge,” WJBK reports. “The crimes allegedly happened about eight years ago and involved a relative of Conway who was 10 years old at the time.”

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Williamson County Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

Jason M. Reynolds

A man has been arrested in Williamson County on child exploitation charges.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) reported on its Facebook page that its Internet Crime Against Children Task Force (ICAC) recently completed an investigation that resulted in the arrest of Williamson County resident Phillip Anderson, 50.  Anderson is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and three charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.

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Sen. Blackburn Addresses Senate on Her Concerns About Snapchat and Sexual Predators Targeting Children

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Thursday again raised the topic of Snapchat and her efforts to urge the company to protect minors from sexual predators. Blackburn addressed the Senate about a letter she wrote Monday to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel urging him to protect children from sexual predators and from being exposed to explicit content while using the platform. The Tennessee Star reported on the letter on Tuesday. Blackburn said in the letter, “Snapchat’s app rating—rated age appropriate for children ages 13 and up—fails to provide parents with adequate warnings about the platform’s dangers. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted some of the ancillary risks associated with allowing such young children on the platform. ’13 has become the internet’s age of adulthood,’ when it should instead be 18.” Blackburn gave Spiegel a deadline of July 29 to respond to a list of questions. Video of Blackburn’s speech is available here. Blackburn’s remarks as prepared were as follows: Thank you, Madam President. In 2017, ICE agents arrested Francisco Javier Soledad on charges of producing child pornography using the popular social media app Snapchat. He assumed a variety of false identities, first a teenage boy, later an adult woman, and…

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Snapchat Serves as a ‘Child Predator’s Dream,’ Sen. Blackburn Tells Snap CEO While Demanding Answers on How it Protects Minors

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday wrote a letter urging the CEO of Snap, Evan Spiegel, to take action to protect children from sexual predators and being exposed to explicit adult content while using Snapchat. “In 2019, our children are living an unprecedented amount of their young lives online,” Blackburn said in a press release. “Snap must be transparent with users about the steps they take to ensure their application is used responsibly and not taken advantage of by those who wish to do innocent children harm.” Blackburn gave Spiegel a deadline of July 29 to respond to a list of questions. A Snapchat spokesperson told Roll Call that it has a zero tolerance policy to these concerns. “We’ve designed Snapchat with no browsable public profiles, and by default you can’t receive a message or share location with someone you haven’t added as a friend on the app. We work hard to detect, prevent and stop any abuse on our platform, and continue to work proactively with governments, law enforcement and best in class safety organizations to ensure that Snapchat continues to be a positive and safe environment,” said the spokesperson on Monday. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)…

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Tennessee Human Rights Commission Compliance Director Charged With Child Sex Crimes

Wendy Wilson

A compliance director for the Tennessee Human Rights Commission has been charged with sexual exploitation of minors. Christopher Matthew Stephenson, 42, is accused of accessing child pornography on the social networking website Tumblr using an IP address registered to his Antioch address, according to a Metro Nashville Police Department news release. Police obtained a search warrant and seized his electronic devices. Sexual images of minors were found on the equipment, the news release said. Police were acting on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Stephenson surrendered for booking Tuesday on a sealed grand jury indictment charging him with two counts of sexual exploitation of minors and one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of minors. The two sexual exploitation counts allege that Stephenson possessed sexual images of children.  The aggravated sexual exploitation count alleges that he electronically distributed the material.  He is not accused of producing child pornography. Stephenson is being held on a $500,000 bond.  He will be soon be arraigned in criminal court. The Tennessee Human Rights Commission is an independent state agency created in 1963 to encourage, promote and advise the public of their human rights, according to its website. The commission became an enforcement…

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