Federal Investigators Uncover Massive Child Porn Ring, Fremont Man Facing Charges
FREMONT (KCBS)— A Fremont man is among 14 defendants facing federal charges after investigators have busted what they say is one of the largest child porn rings they have ever uncovered.
The victims in the Internet-based porn ring are mostly 13 to 15 years old, but according to authorities, a few were nine or younger.
25-year-old Aung Gaw, also known as Michael Gaw, of Fremont is charged with receipt of child pornography.
Federal Investigators Uncover Massive Child Porn Ring, Fremont Man Facing Charges
Homeland Security Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeff Spada said the victims are from 39 states and five foreign countries.
Spada said investigators so far have been able to identify 251 victims that are minors in this case.
The suspects are accused of being involved in an underground website that contained more than 2,000 videos.
Investigators said the adults duped the victims, mostly juvenile boys, to engage in sexually explicit activity that was recorded via webcams.
Spada said the site operators used a router designed to maintain their anonymity.
"It goes from server to server to server so that you can't actually identify either a bulletin board location or the individual that's trying to retrieve information from the bulletin board," he said.
More than 40 terabytes of data are being searched and authorities expect to identify more victims and suspects as a result.
