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OPERATION APRIL FOOLS YIELDS REAL ARRESTS FOR ALLEGED INTERNET PREDATORS
Five people have been arrested and more charges are expected after an intense month-long investigation into child pornographers. Operation April Fools was the latest effort by the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to track down individuals preying on children online and trafficking in child pornography.
“For Operation April Fools the joke was on Internet predators who thought they could get away with it,” says Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. “Anyone who has anything to do with child pornography is clearly a fool and a real threat to children.”
From April 1 through April 30, Operation April Fools targeted areas on the Internet in which a very large volume of child pornography was being transferred between users all over the world. By utilizing technology advancements and specific investigation techniques, the Utah ICAC Task Force and their partners were able to track about 30 of these suspects to Utah. Here is the list of the people arrested so far:
- Daniel Mandioni, Edwin Rico, Dustin O’Connor (Salt Lake County Jail)
- Richard Holt (Davis County Jail)
- Steve Romero (Cache County Jail after extradition from Las Vegas)
More investigation work will be done on the suspects’ computers and charges are expected against another 15 defendants. In March the Utah ICAC Task Force conducted Operation March Madness and served seven search warrants and seized 37 computers believed to be used in trafficking child pornography and soliciting children over the Internet.
“This was a team effort to try and end the sexual exploitation of children in Utah,” says Capt. Rhett McQuiston, Utah ICAC Task Force Director. “I am hoping we made a real dent.”
Overtime expenses for Operation April Fools and Operation March Madness were funded by a large donation from the private foundation, Operation Kids. The investigation included agents from the Utah Attorney General's Office, Layton Police Department, Summit County Sheriff's Office, Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah Department of Corrections, Federal Bureau of Investigation, West Valley Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, Tooele Police Department and South Jordan Police Department.
Defendants are presumed innocent until a conviction is entered. More information about the Utah ICAC Task Force and tips to protect your children online can be found at http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html. Booking photos of the defendants are available here.
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