Wonder why Michael Jackson tries to make a comback ..... noted his new
nose is grotesque.
OSaba
Onli
Online child porn ring bustedDozens of kids allegedly molested; priests
among 27 jailedBREAKING NEWS
NBC NEWS
WASHINGTON, March 18 — At least 36 kids were molested by members of a
nationwide Internet child pornography ring that was being shut down
Monday by federal agents, law enforcement sources told NBC News. More
than two dozen people were arrested, including a "small number" of Roman
Catholic priests, they said.
Details of the bust were to be made public at an FBI news conference
scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
THE SOURCES, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
that 27 people had been arrested in 26 states by early afternoon. A
total of 86 charges were expected to be filed as a result of the
investigation, they said.
In addition to the priests, teachers, firemen and other
professionals were among the suspects arrested, the sources said.
Details of the bust — dubbed Operation Candyman —
were to be made public by Bruce Gebhardt, head of the FBI's Criminal
Investigation Division at a news conference scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
The use of the Internet to sell and trade child
pornography has grown sharply in recent years.
In 2001, the FBI's Crimes Against Children Unit opened
1,541 cases against people suspected of using the Internet to commit
crimes involving child pornography or abuse, compared to 113 cases in
1996. The FBI had 20 employees devoted to cases involving Internet
crimes against children in 1995, compared to about 150 agents now.
Internet Underground: MSNBC.com covers the dark side of the Net
The arrest of the priests was likely to add to the
controversy swirling around recent allegations that a handful of church
clergymen, including defrocked priest John Geoghan of Boston, were
serial pedophiles. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promised to
discuss a comprehensive national response to the issue during the
bishop's next meeting in June.
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U.S. law-enforcement officials and experts on pedophilia
generally agree that there is a link between child pornography and
sexual abuse of children. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said last
year that 36 percent of child pornography investigations undertaken by
its inspectors since 1997 led to child molesters.
Check back for additional details on this breaking story.
NBC Producer Jim Popkin and MSNBC.com's Mike Brunker
contributed to this report.
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