TAKEDOWN - Feds Bust One of the Dark Web's Biggest Child Porn Sites with 337 Arrests So Far (pizzagate)

submitted ago by 13Buddha

The DOJ announced today in a press conference that "Welcome to Video," hosted 8 terrabytes of child porn, resulting in arrests of 337 around the world, and 23 children across the world were identified via Welcome to Video materials and were rescued from abusive situations. Welcome to Video is one of the world's largest dark web child porn websites. In the US, the people arrested resided in the states of AL, AK, CA, CT, FL, GA, KN, LA, MD, MA, NE, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, UT, SC, VA, WA, and DC.

In the Washington DC area, the operation has led to the execution of 5 search warrants and 8 arrests. Two users of the Darknet market committed suicide subsequent to the execution of search warrants.

This link from WFMZ , Allentown, PA, provided a video of the DOJ announcing the takedown, but it's only 45 seconds long, and it was cut off. Was it cut off purposely? By CNN? I searched for a full video and came up with nothing.

https://www.wfmz.com/news/cnn/us-national/doj-announces-takedown-of-darknet-child-porn-site/video_2861c307-93e3-5b67-b613-dbd726fe88d3.html

A 23-year old South Korean male, Jong Woo Son, was indicted for running Welcome to Video. In a nine-count indictment, prosecutors said that Son was arrested in March of 2018 when the server used to operate the site was seized. Son has been convicted in South Korea and is currently serving his sentence there.

The DOJ said it traced Bitcoin payments in order to find users and administrators of the website. In a shockingly terrible opsec, the website's administrator was running payments through an American Bitcoin exchange under his real name, cell phone number, and email account. The site hosted more than 200,000 videos, and users had downloaded more than a million files. Jessie Liu, a federal prosecutor for DC stated that "much of the site depicted prepubescent children, tiddlers, and infants engaged in sexual conductt. According to the indictment, the site operated between June 2015 and late 2018 when it was seized. Members paid roughly $350 in Bitcoin for a 6-month membership that allowed for unlimited downloads.

The investigation was a partnership between the DOJ, ICE, the IRS and their counterparts in the UK and South Korea. Liu said that 53 alleged pedophiles have been arrested in the US and that dozens more are under investigation. She said people have been arrested in Brazil, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.

The US Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment

This is a very important bust, but why did the DOJ allow the site to operate so long? Identifying the administrator and some of its users was done quickly, however, there are ongoing debates in the law enforcement community about whether it should allow child porn websites to operate in order to gather more evidence. The DOJ noted same in their press conference.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/south-korean-national-and-hundreds-others-charged-worldwide-takedown-largest-darknet-child

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gyzkxb/feds-bust-one-of-the-dark-webs-biggest-child-porn-sites-thanks-to-tremendously-bad-opsec

urbanmoving ago

Amazing how the feds keep posting these fake stories yuet the pedo site are still up the users in the tens of thousands brag about how they are not arrested and they keep posting these insane "arrest" numbers" which have been proven as fake as the "sealed" indictment propaganda

13Buddha ago

I hear what you're saying. Call it wishful thinking, false hope, whatever you want, thinking this could be the big one to bust everything wide open. I just don't know anymore. Who actually does?

plancktonne ago

This is old news, but relates to this recent bust, because Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's friend, Ingvaldson, was caught in a similar large takedown of an international porn ring involving some very scummy paedophiles in England.

Justin Trudeau’s Best Friend Jailed After International Pedophile Ring Bust

Something interesting from the article and not generally known:

"As mentioned earlier, before Justin followed his father’s footsteps into politics, he was a teacher at West Point Grey Academy, an elite K-12 school — a school that shockingly had two separate sets of parents shot dead during the time he was teaching. Officials called the killings “gangland murders” at the time.

"Keep in mind this “gangland violence” was apparently occurring to parents sending their children to an incredibly expensive private sleep-away Canadian prep school. The murders also happened to parents with no previous criminal records, but who were suddenly labeled mafia loan sharks after their violent and unexpected deaths.

"Nobody associated with the school believed the “gangland” excuse at the time, and they still don’t."

sAVAgeBeastN ago

2 take aways

1 this is disgusting, and these pedophiles need to Hang.

2 bitcoin is now tracked.

carmencita ago

Thanks for posting. We have read many horrible details like this before and it is just as awful as the others. Some worse. There ids much thought that goes into either stopping the investigation due to the paint m and suffering of Our Children.

So many more can be arrested. I am very concerned over the light sentences and wrist slapping. But we have seen that before. Protecting their own.

darkknight111 ago

https://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2019/10/blind-item-10_16.html?m=1#comment-form

Enty implying one of the arrests is a John Doe in the Epstein case.

fogdryer ago

very old article

YogSoggoth ago

I can see the DOJ letting it go so long for evidence gathering, but since it was in the Obama years ... I think otherwise. There were good cops, even under his gay dictatorship.

KnightsofHubris ago

what are you talking about? The Obama Years? How is 2017 one of the Obama years? This website was discovered after a British man was arrested in June 2017.

YogSoggoth ago

January 20, 2017, was right before Christmas. Do you even know what year it is? Phhtss

KnightsofHubris ago

What the fuck are you talking about?

YogSoggoth ago

Friday, January 20, 2017, was the inauguration, but I doubt he could make anything happen for a year at least. As far as Trump's involvement, it was only curtailed freedom of movement, coupled with hope. Ivanka was the only one whispering into Daddy's ear about such matters. Try not to curse so much. You are showing your Yankee ingratitude, and lack of class.

think- ago

This was initiated by the UK, not by the DOJ. The Brits sent their info to the DOJ. They had found the website when they investigated a British pedo. @EricKaliberhall

One million addresses were registered at the site, but only 337 perps got arrested, one only got a 'caution' in the UK.

Only 23 kids were saved, although there must have been thousands of victims. The youngest child that was raped was a newborn baby.

The owner of the website got only 18 months (!) in prison in South Korea - wtf.

"much of the site depicted prepubescent children, toddlers, and infants engaged in sexual conduct".

No. They did not 'engage in sexual conduct'. They were raped and tortured.

lamplight ago

337 arrests out of 1 million. Pathetic!

think- ago

Yep. At first glance, 337 arrests sounds a lot, but compared to the number of users they had, it isn't.

carmencita ago

Thanks for catching that! Dear God.

13Buddha ago

Thanks! I will clarify that in my content.

think- ago

Welcome, and thank you.

StankMouth ago

Hope this continues.

https://files.catbox.moe/74zda9.jpeg

derram ago

https://files.catbox.moe/u4yrs1.png :

Feds Bust One of the Dark Web's Biggest Child Porn Sites Thanks to Tremendously Bad Opsec - VICE

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EricKaliberhall ago

Swamp Takedown flair is activated.