Seventy two people have been charged in Dreamboard, a members-only online forum that was created to promote paedophilia and “to encourage the sexual abuse of very young children”. What these sick perverts did was absolutely disgusting.
Again, this is tough stuff to stomach, so feel free to stop reading here and know that according to the Justice Department, busting Dreamboard resulted in the largest prosecution of people involved in online child exploitation ever. The investigation lasted for two years and charged 72 people with 52 people already arrested. Thirteen have plead guilty and four have received prison sentences of 20-30 years.
Dreamboard required users to upload images of children 12 years or younger in order to earn membership. In order to maintain their Dreamboard membership, they needed to continue to upload images with more submitted images leading to more access to content. In all members traded tens of thousands images with one another. Attorney General Eric Holder says:
“Some of the children featured in these images and videos were just infants. And, in many cases, the children being victimized were in obvious, and intentional, pain – even ‘in distress and crying,’ just as the rules for one area of the bulletin board mandated.”
Disgusting in every sense of the word. I hope they rot. [CBS News]