Tag: child abuse

Police: Chairman of Pentagon Software Contractor Arrested in Pedophile Sting

A 57-year-old Pittsburgh tech entrepreneur who is the founder and chairman of a software company with federal contracts including with the Pentagon is facing felony charges for allegedly soliciting sexual contact with a young girl in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.

WTAE in Pittsburgh reports that Eric T. Gillespie, founder and chairman of software company Govini, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly trying to arrange a meeting with a preteen girl for sexual purposes. The arrest was part of a sting operation conducted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Child Predator Section.

According to Attorney General Dave Sunday, an agent posed as an adult in an online chat platform often used by offenders attempting to arrange meetings with children. The agent uncovered Gillespie, who was using an online pseudonym, lurking on the platform to access children.

Gillespie, a 57-year-old resident of Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood, founded Govini to transform how the U.S. government uses AI and data to make decisions. The company recently surpassed $100 million in annual revenue and has been awarded millions of dollars in contracts with federal agencies including the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security.

In response to Gillespie’s arrest, Govini placed him on administrative leave and stated the company will fully cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation. The company acknowledged the severity of the charges and vowed to hold all employees to the highest ethical standards.

Gillespie is facing four felony counts related to the incident. A judge denied bail, citing flight risk and public safety concerns. The Attorney General’s office said Gillespie denied the allegations against him.

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Public School Teachers Have A Serious Child Sex Abuse Problem

Every month, around 300 to 500 public school teachers are arrested or charged for incidents involving a minor, including sexual assault on minors.  The majority of these cases do not receive much attention in the media and often school districts will “pass the trash”; quietly removing an offending teacher and using confidentiality agreements to cover up incidents, allowing that employee to simply move on to another school district and repeat the pattern all over again.

These cases tend to start with lewd conduct – Teachers acting inappropriately or making sexualized comments with multiple students.  They are punished by school officials, but the action is kept under wraps.  The teacher then moves to another county and does something even worse.

For example, a teacher in NJ became the subject of a media firestorm last year when he was caught in multiple instances over the course of several years engaging in sexual discussions and behavior with students.  These incidents including dropping items in front of female students, telling them to pick up the objects so that he could look at them from behind as they bent over.  There were also several reports of the teacher discussing his personal sex life with children and making bizarre comments about how the girls in his class looked “cute”. 

Despite New Jersey making laws against “pass the trash” practices, schools flouted the restrictions and hid groomer teachers anyway.  Lewd conduct often ends up leading to physical abuse if teachers are not outed right away.

In the past two weeks alone the news feeds have been replete with child abuse cases involving teachers, from Aurora, Colorado to Maricopa County, Arizona to Swainsboro, Georgia to Mount Pleasant, Texas and Detroit, Michigan. 

These cases are so frequent they rarely stay in the focus of journalists for more than a few days before the next arrest takes the limelight. 

Think your children are safer if the teacher is female?  Think again.  Among educators arrested for abuse, women make up 30% of cases.  This might seem low until we take into account the fact that among all sexual abuse cases nationally, women perpetrate 10% of them.  In other words, female school teachers are far above the national average for child abuse.

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Texas man accused of child sex crimes avoids jail in plea deal with Soros-backed prosecutor: report

A Texas man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child will avoid prosecution on nine felony counts after striking a plea deal with a George Soros-backed Travis County prosecutor, according to a report.

Austin’s ABC affiliate KVUE reported that Richard Leigh Bell, 37, was indicted on nine felony charges — including one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and two counts of indecency with a child. Those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal that allowed Bell to plead guilty to one count of injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Under the deal, Bell was sentenced to five years of deferred probation. He must register as a sex offender and is barred from contacting the victim, her family or any minors, KVUE reported. The plea included no jail time.

Outside the courtroom on Monday, the victim’s father told KVUE he was blindsided by the decision and said prosecutors Efrain De La Fuente and Lorraine Garcia failed to include him in discussions about the plea.

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56 Arrested in Massachusetts Child Porn Sweep

Massachusetts authorities arrested 56 people across the state for alleged child pornography activities in a crime sweep dubbed “Operation Firewall,” state police announced on Monday.

The three-day investigation in 38 communities targeted the growing problem of possession, production, child enticement, and sharing of child sexual abuse material, the Massachusetts State Police reported.

In addition to the arrests, investigators say they searched 34 homes and seized 229 devices.

“Over several months, members of the State Police’s Division of Investigative Services used their training and skill to develop these cases,” said Col. Geoffrey Noble. “I commend the Troopers for their hard work to overcome the evasive tactics of suspects and build a comprehensive operational plan to safely remove predators from our streets.”

The defendants are expected to face charges connected to child pornography, child enticement, outstanding warrants for assault and battery of a child, rape of a child, and failure to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board, according to authorities.

The investigators worked for several weeks to develop Operation Firewall, according to Lt. Col. Daniel Tucker.

The operation relied on several partners, including detective units, district attorney’s offices, special tactical teams, and officials specializing in the apprehension of violent fugitives.

Troopers conducted arrests for a variety of sexual offenses with children, including contact, enticement, trafficking, and aggravated rape, the state reported.

“The Massachusetts State Police are working very hard every day to keep our communities safe, especially our children,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

According to the state police, many child pornography investigations stem from a growing number of online tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding suspicious activity.

Under federal law, electronic service providers are required to submit a cyber tip line report to the agency when they recognize dangerous behavior. Troopers assigned to the cybercrime unit review the tips to see if the content violates the state’s child pornography laws.

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Unmasked, the most prolific sex offender in British history who raped HUNDREDS of boys in paedophile ring ‘involving a magistrate and police officer’- at borstal where abuse of 2,000 victims was covered up

Britain’s most prolific sex offender was able to rape and torture boys at a borstal where abuse was ‘ignored and dismissed’ by the prison service, police and the Home Office. 

Neville Husband led a reign of terror where he and other staff systematically raped and abused hundreds of young men and boys who they were supposed to be helping.

A damning report released today lays bare the horrors which took place at Medomsley Detention Centre – where Husband worked as a caterer – in County Durham between 1961 and 1987.

The report today brands Husband – who died in 2010 – ‘possibly the most prolific sex offender in British criminal history’. 

The scale of offending would surpass even the likes of Jimmy Savile, with the prison ombudsman’s investigation revealing that the ‘voracious’ sexual predator would often target two or three young men every day during his 16 years at Medomsley. 

More than 2,000 young men and boys say they were sexually and physically abused at the former Victorian orphanage over nearly three decades. 

And the appalling crimes were covered up to such an extent that Husband was even given the Imperial Service Medal for his role in prison services and was welcomed into a church as a minister.

Victims also claimed they were taken to a ‘posh house’ to be abused by Husband and several other men. One claimant said the magistrate who sent him to Medomsley was present at the house. It is alleged a local serving prison officer was also involved in the abuse. 

The scathing report from the Prisons Ombudsman, Operation Deerness, unearthed the ‘widespread physical and sexual abuse’ at the facility, which was fuelled by ‘a familiarity with violence’ towards young offenders.  

From the moment detainees arrived at the centre, they were physically abused and introduced to the ‘short, sharp, shock’ punishment that became embedded as practice at the facility.

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First openly trans US lawmaker directed partner on how to abuse tots — before asking if pair could still go to heaven

The country’s first openly trans lawmaker directed his partner on how to abuse children as young as 3 at a Massachusetts daycare, before asking her if the evil pair would still go to heaven.

Twisted New Hampshire ex-pol Stacie-Marie Laughton, born Barry Laughton, 41, pleaded guilty in the heinous case last week and faces up to 30 years in prison on federal child pornography convictions after exchanging despicable images with his partner, 40-year-old Lindsay Groves.

In sickening text message exchanges laid out in court documents, the pair discuss in detail their perverted fantasies, as Laughton, a former state legislator, egged on his partner to abuse the children in her care.

Groves sent at least four explicit pictures of children between the ages of 3 and 5 to Laughton, all taken at the Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., where she worked between May 2022 and June 2023.

In between lurid instructions to his then-partner on how to abuse the children, Laughton expressed his fears that the pair would be arrested for their heinous acts.

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Former Transgender New Hampshire State Rep. Pleads Guilty in Connection to Child Sex Crimes

A former transgender New Hampshire state legislator pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children this week.

Stacie Laughton (biological male), a Democrat who was elected to the New Hampshire House three times and resigned twice over legal problems, is facing up to 30 years in prison in connection to child sex crimes.

In 2023, Laughton, 41, of Nashua, New Hampshire, and his former intimate partner and daycare worker, Lindsay Groves, were charged with child exploitation.

Groves admitted to taking sexually explicit photos of children at the daycare center and sending them to Laughton.

Laughton was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children – and aiding and abetting, according to the DOJ.

“According to the charging documents, a preliminary forensic review of Groves’ cellphone allegedly revealed over 10,000 text messages between Laughton and Groves that included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds daycare – including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old, as well as explicit descriptions of sex with each other and others, including children,” the DOJ said.

Groves was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography.

“The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case,” the DOJ said.

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‘Most prolific pedophile priest.’ New suit resurfaces notorious Florida case

A new lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami has revived a notorious case involving a former Catholic priest convicted of a string of sex offenses more than a decade ago.

The most recent lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in June, is only the latest accusing the Catholic Church of failing to protect multiple underage boys from Neil Doherty, a serial sexual abuser who was employed by the archdiocese as a priest from 1969 until 2002, when he was removed.

“He is probably the most prolific pedophile priest in U.S. history. He sexually abused, we think, thousands of kids over the course of about 40 years,” said Daniel Ellis, senior lead attorney at Herman Law, the firm representing a victim identified only as John Doe 8 to protect his privacy.

According to the lawsuit, Doherty groomed and raped the victim around 1995, when he was around 16 years old. The alleged abuse happened multiple times in Doherty’s residence in the mid-1990s.

The lawsuit comes decades after the abuse took place and after Doherty was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in Florida prison in 2013.

At least four other civil lawsuits naming seven plaintiffs (John Doe 1-7) have been filed against the archdiocese in the past five years, naming Doherty as the primary abuser and seeking “compensatory damages” for the years of inflicted “emotional distress.” The more recent cases against Doherty appear to have been settled, though the law firm would not discuss details of those settlements.

In 2006, the Miami Herald reported that the church settled six civil suits, including two against Doherty, for $750,000.

In a statement to the Miami Herald, the archdiocese said it is “in the process of responding to a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by a former priest that occurred over twenty-nine years ago.”

“As always, the Catholic Church’s concerns are for the victims and a prevailing sense of justice and healing,” the statement said.

The archdiocese said that Doherty was “permanently removed from active ministry within the Archdiocese and the universal Catholic Church in April 2002,” and since the disgraced and defrocked priest has been named in multiple lawsuits.

“As is the Archdiocese’s practice, any allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest is immediately reported to the appropriate State Attorney’s Office in Monroe, Miami-Dade, or Broward County,” the statement said.

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Convicted Paedophile Wanted in Germany Was Housed in UK Migrant Hotel

The British government placed a convicted paedophile wanted by German authorities in a migrant hotel and is paying for his legal defence against extradition, sparking outrage from local MPs.

Izalden Alshaik Suleman, 32, was detained by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at the Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale last month and now faces deportation to Germany where he is wanted for a child sex offence.

His detention at the hotel, which has been used to house alleged asylum seekers at taxpayer expense since 2023, has sparked questions as to why the government placed the convicted paedophile within the accommodation in the first place, rather than immediately removing him from the country.

Speaking to the Altrincham Today publication, Local MP Connor Rand said: “The individual who has been arrested should never have been allowed into the country. I understand they now face extradition, and I will be writing to the Home Office to request they are deported as soon as possible.”

Rand went on to reveal that the NCA failed to inform local authorities, including himself, the Greater Manchester Police, or the local Trafford Council about their plans to arrest Suleman as the hotel.

“While I am grateful to the NCA for their work to apprehend a clearly dangerous individual, I share the anger of residents that we were kept in the dark about such a serious incident,” he said.

A member of the governing left-wing Labour Party, Rand said that he has urged Prime Minister Starmer’s government to shut down migrant accommodation at the Ashley Hotel as well as the Cresta Court migrant hotel, and said that he has received assurances that they will both be shut, but did not disclose any timeline.

The leader of the Trafford Conservatives Cllr Nathan Evans said that it was “outrageous” for a convicted pedophile to be housed in the hotel, saying: “We have been mocked by the Greens, Lib Dems, Labour and I even got a letter from the churches saying we were wrong to call these facilities inappropriate. These are the places we should not be housing these illegal migrants.”

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Gov’t departments riddled with criminal misconduct, from immigration fraud to child porn

The rot inside Canada’s federal bureaucracy runs deep. A sprawling order paper question (Q-315) has exposed an alarming pattern of criminal and unethical behaviour among public servants — spanning everything from immigration fraud and sexual misconduct to child pornography and theft.

The revelations came through responses tabled by multiple departments, each quietly admitting to cases that would get private-sector employees fired or even jailed.

Instead, in many cases, the government handed out little more than wrist slaps or simple reassignments.

At Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, one employee was caught aiding immigration fraud, while another was implicated in illegal activity abroad; their “discipline” was a reassignment.

At Crown-Indigenous Relations, several serious allegations — including fraud and theft — remain “under investigation” or have yet to be examined at all.

The National Research Council, which is supposed to house some of Canada’s top scientists, reported incidents of child pornography and break and enter that were referred to police.

The Canada Border Services Agency handed out a five-day suspension to an employee who paid for sexual services, while another staffer with known criminal associates was given a written reprimand.

Shared Services Canada admitted that “fewer than 10” employees were working under fake names, all of whom somehow received security clearance.

Even the Privy Council Office, which serves as the prime minister’s own department, confirmed an employee was caught leaking classified information.

And at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, two employees were caught using illegal drugs in the very office responsible for enforcing federal law.

Perhaps most troubling: across multiple departments, the most common outcome for thieves and fraudsters wasn’t termination or prosecution, it was simply that they “left the department.”

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