Leading creator of child porn on 'dark web' convicted in Nevada
Also: Sparks Man Convicted Of Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses (U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada)
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Source: Reuters
Leading creator of child porn on 'dark web' convicted in Nevada
Steve Gorman
Thu, March 7, 2024 at 5:07 PM EST·2 min read
March 7 (Reuters) - A man accused of victimizing dozens of minors as the leading purveyor of child sexual abuse material on the "dark web" between 2018 and 2021 was convicted on Thursday of multiple counts of child pornography and exploitation by a federal court jury in Nevada.
James Patrick Burns, 55, of Sparks, Nevada, who was already a registered sex offender, faces a prison term of 25 years to life when he is sentenced on June 10, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada said in announcing the conviction.
According to court documents and trial evidence, Burns used threats to coerce children into producing pornographic imagery and then posted this material to "dark web" forums carried by such online platforms as Omegle, Snapchat, Tiktok and Mega.NZ.
At the time of these offenses, between 2018 and 2021, Burns "was the most prolific creator of illegal content on these forums," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
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Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/leading-creator-child-porn-dark-220724098.html
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada
Sparks Man Convicted Of Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada
RENO - A federal jury convicted a Nevada man yesterday for sexually exploiting multiple minors, and advertising and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that he coerced these minors into producing.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2018 and 2021, James Patrick Burns, 55, of Sparks, sexually exploited multiple minors online via Omegle, Snapchat, Tiktok, and Mega.NZ. Burns, a registered sex offender, threatened these minors into producing CSAM and then posted the CSAM on dark web forums. At the time, Burns was the most prolific creator of illegal content on these forums. He victimized over 100 children, many of whom have yet to be identified. Burns’ offenses came to the attention of law enforcement when a mother of one of his victims saw threats on the victim’s phone and reported what she saw to the police.
The jury convicted Burns of eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, eight counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count each of advertising, receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography. In a separate trial, the jury also convicted Burns of committing specified felony offenses (from the first trial) while required to register as a sex offender.
Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10. He faces a mandatory minimum of at least 25 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/sparks-man-convicted-multiple-child-exploitation-offenses