SAFER INTERNET DAY: TOGETHER FOR A BETTER INTERNET
“Today, we encourage you to take the time to discuss internet safety with your children.” -Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes
SALT LAKE CITY — Safer Internet Day is
today, February 11th and the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes
Against Children (ICAC) Task Force urges Utahns to get educated on internet
safety to help prevent children falling victim to internet crimes. The best way
to prevent these crimes is by educating yourself, your children, co-workers,
teachers, etc.
Safer Internet Day is celebrated across the globe each February.
This year’s theme is, “Together
for a better internet”. The Utah ICAC diligently works to make the
digital world safe from predators, cyberbullies, and other online dangers. We
urge you to be kind and respectful to your peers online and to observe internet
safety as you access the internet through your phone, apps, gaming platforms,
and computers. No matter what you use, it’s important to practice digital
safety.
We encourage you to read and utilize these resources on this and every day.
Below are some helpful resources to help you learn more about
dangers your child may encounter online, and ways you can help prevent them:
Read the Safer Internet Day featured article, Sextortion: Stop It Before It Starts, written
by Detective Christie Hirota from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office ICAC
Task Force.
The proliferation of images and videos featuring the sexual abuse and torture of children, often referred to as child pornography, has increased exponentially over the years. Last year, tech companies reported an astounding 45 million online photos and videos of children being sexually abused.
By Rich Harris | New York Times | Source: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Utah is not immune to the rapid expansion of this epidemic. The Utah Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in inundated with combatting child sexual abuse in the State of Utah. Recently, the New York Times featured the ICAC Task Force in an article reporting on the increasing amount of reported child sexual abuse imagery in an increasingly virtual age.
It was a sunny afternoon in July, and an unmarked police van in Salt Lake City was parked outside a pink stucco house. Garden gnomes and a heart-shaped “Welcome Friends” sign decorated the front yard.
At the back of the van, a man who lived in the house was seated in a cramped interrogation area, while officers cataloged hard drives and sifted through web histories from his computers.
The man had shared sexually explicit videos online, the police said, including one of a 10-year-old boy being “orally sodomized” by a man, and another of a man forcing two young boys to engage in anal intercourse.
“The sad thing is that’s pretty tame compared to what we’ve seen,” said Chief Jessica Farnsworth, an official with the Utah Attorney General’s Office who led a raid of the house. The victims have not been identified or rescued.
The year was barely half over, and Chief Farnsworth’s team had already conducted about 150 such raids across Utah. The specially trained group, one of 61 nationwide, coordinates state and regional responses to internet crimes against children.
The Utah group expects to arrest nearly twice as many people this year as last year for crimes related to child sexual abuse material, but federal funding has not kept pace with the surge. Funding for the 61 task forces from 2010 to 2018 remained relatively flat, federal data shows, while the number of leads referred to them increased by more than 400 percent.
Much of the federal money goes toward training new staff members because the cases take a heavy emotional and psychological toll on investigators, resulting in constant turnover.
The Internet is Overrun with Images of Child Sexual Abuse. What Went Wrong?
Investigators in Salt Lake City searching a home for abuse content. Confiscated electronic material in a mobile forensics lab. Jessica Farnsworth, an official with the Utah attorney general’s office who oversaw the operation. | Kholood Eid for The New York Times
The
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional
task force that investigates and prosecutes individuals who use the Internet to
exploit children. The Utah Attorney General (UAG) ICAC Task Force was created
in 2000 and is now one of 61 ICAC task forces in the country. They focus on
crimes related to sexual exploitation of a minor – whether possessing,
distributing, or manufacturing child pornography, enticing minors over the
internet, or exchanging material deemed harmful to minors. The UAG ICAC Task
Force has 32 local, state, and federal police agencies involved in the task
force.
Yesterday, a North Logan man was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl after he lured her into his apartment by pretending to be one of her friends on Snapchat.
While the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force isn’t directly associated with this specific case, Regional Supervisor Alan Connor emphasized that these incidents happen far too often. Additionally, he urges parents to be aware of their children’s interactions on the internet and for children and teens to practice internet safety.
“When we’re talking about kids, they’re easily manipulated. They want to be liked, they want to be popular. The confirmation of those feelings and those emotions are what predators jump on,” Connor said. “As the parents, we need to be informed. We need to go out there and look and see what our kids are doing. If we don’t understand it we have to educate ourselves.”
Report child pornography by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at 801.281.1211 or your local law enforcement agency.
Media coverage:
ABC4: North Logan man uses Snapchat to lure teen to apartment and rape her, documents state
Deseret News: Northern Utah man uses Snapchat to lure teen to his apartment, rape her, charges state
Fox13: Cache County man deceived teen girl on Snapchat before raping her, police say
Salt Lake Tribune: Logan man charged with luring a 13-year-old to his apartment and raping her
KUTV: Police: North Logan man raped minor, lured her by posing as girl on Snapchat
A warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of 19-year-old Gabe Ryan Gilbert for sextortion and/or coercion of another person. The charges are comprised of five counts of aggravated sexual extortion of a child, a first-degree felony, and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, after he allegedly contacted and threated juvenile girls on social media for nude photos.
“When I examined the results of the search warrant from
Snapchat it was obvious the user had been engaging in very similar behavior
with other underage girls. I identified well over fifty (50) potential victims
of this type of sexual extortion,” said an investigator in the charging
documents.
Sextortion is a serious crime that occurs when someone
threatens to distribute your private, sensitive material if you don’t provide
sexual images, favors, or money. Generally, the perpetrator may threaten you or
your loved ones unless you comply with their demands. Sextortion has serious
and devastating effects on young victims and unfortunately isn’t uncommon with
our technological world and various social media platforms where predators and
perpetrators lurk.
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim to sextortion
and what to do if you become one:
Never send compromising images of yourself to
anyone, no matter who they are or who they say they are. These images could
easily be shared or stolen, even by people you may trust.
Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras
when you are not using them.
If you receive sextortion threats, contact law
enforcement or tell an adult. You are not alone, and you are not to blame.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
(ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigates and prosecutes
individuals who use the Internet to exploit children.
ICAC Tip
Line: 801.281.1211
ICAC Email: utahicac@agutah.gov
Media Coverage:
Fox 13: Police: Utah man charged with sexual extortion threatened to expose teen girls, send ‘rapists’ to their homes
KUTV: Utah teen accused of sexual extortion of more than 50 girls, court documents state
KSL: Utahn accused in ‘sextortion’ of over 50 teens, charges say
Deseret News: Utahn accused in ‘sextortion’ of over 50 teens, charges say
On Friday, James Allen Wynhoff was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on one felony count of traveling to engage in sexual acts with a minor as well as felony and misdemeanor drug offenses. Wynhoff was arrested last November during an undercover operation by the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Wynhoff is originally from Las Vegas but was arrested in
Washington County when he arrived at the location where he was allegedly going
to meet with a minor. His arresting charges included possessing marijuana with
intent to distribute, owning drug paraphernalia, and enticing a minor.
Initially, Wynhoff was charged in state court with a second-degree felony; however, those charges were dismissed when he pled guilty in federal court with one count of traveling to engage in sexual acts with a minor after he crossed state lines.
The court additionally ordered Wynhoff to undergo a sex offender treatment, and a “Residential Drug Abuse Program,” which is an intensive nine-month, 500-hour substance abuse rehabilitation program. He will be imprisoned in either Englewood, Colorado or Segoville, Texas in order to facilitate the required treatments. Wynhoff will be registered as a sex offender.
Don Hudson with ABC4 News met with ICAC Commander Jessica Farnsworth to discuss the mental toll it takes to be an officer of the ICAC Task Force. In order for ICAC officers to find and arrest child predators, they have to view the evidence, which contains horrific footage of children being sexually abused and tortured.
Watching the footage of crimes that they can’t stop, officers go through feelings of helplessness and horror, which can start taking a toll on their health. That is why ICAC has a wellness program and mandatory sessions with a clinical therapist.
In the first three months of 2019, ICAC made 104 arrests. Last month, they announced the arrest of 13 child predators in Utah County. While the investigations can be frustrating and painful, ICAC is ready to take down anyone who hurts children.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigates and prosecutes individuals who use the Internet to exploit children. The Utah Attorney General (UAG) ICAC Task Force was created in 2000 and is now one of 61 ICAC task forces in the country. They focus on crimes related to sexual exploitation of a minor – whether possessing, distributing, or manufacturing child pornography, enticing minors over the internet, or exchanging material deemed harmful to minors. The UAG ICAC Task Force has 32 local, state, and federal police agencies involved in the task force.
ICAC TASK FORCE WRAPS OPERATION WITH THIRTEEN ARRESTS Over 45 Charges Issued to Offenders Arrested in Utah County
SALT LAKE CITY – Today, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes announced the arrest of thirteen individuals in Utah County following a recent operation targeting child sexual predators. Charges include Enticing a Minor, Attempted Rape of a Child, Attempted Sodomy of a Child, Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, Attempted Forcible Sexual Abuse, Criminal Solicitation, and more, for a total of 48 charges.
“The bad news is the information we are sharing today is grim in nature and shows that there are adults in our communities who appear to be actively and aggressively trying to have sexual contact with Utah children,” said Attorney General Reyes. “My office works with children who are actual victims of sexual abuse and rape; we see these children and the trauma they suffer. That’s why we perform these operations, and why we’re so committed to preventing harm where we can and prosecuting every possible crime against children that we can. Our goal is to prevent this kind of trauma from happening to even one more child.”
The investigation, led by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, indicated the suspects primarily targeted boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 13 years old. These suspects, if convicted, would be considered among the most dangerous and aggressive child predators because their activity indicates a plan to engage in sexual contact with a minor.
Based on the number of cases law enforcement agencies
have handled across the state, evidence shows that this problem has become more
pervasive in the last year.
Attorney General Reyes addressed that troubling trend today during a press conference alongside ICAC officers from the Provo Police Department, Orem Police Department, Utah County Sheriff’s office, Uintah County Sheriff’s office, Dixie State University Police, Davis County Attorney’s office, and Adult Probation and Parole who all participated in the operation.
Keeping Children Safe
The Utah Attorney General’s ICAC Education Specialist has the following tips:
As schools lets out and summer starts, this is a good time to remind children that they should never meet anyone they met online.
Be aware of the websites and apps your children are using.
As community members, our role is to
help protect children. If you know of anyone who is contacting children, please
call your local law enforcement or the ICAC Tip Line at 801-281-1211.
# # #
NOTES:
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigates and prosecutes individuals who use the Internet to exploit children.
Child pornography is a serious and growing problem in our state, and the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is fighting it every day. ABC4 reporter Brittany Johnson got a first-hand look at this problem recently, by riding along with the ICAC Task Force. She went with our officers to the frontline of this battle to capture and share the tragic reality of child pornography – and how ICAC fights against it – on ABC4’s 10 PM newscasts, April 25 and 26, 2019.
Based on the considerable feedback, the Utah Attorney General’s office is posting answers to the most frequently asked questions about the child pornography problem in our state. These questions are pouring into both the AG’s office and to ABC4 via email, social media, and telephone this week. There are thousands of concerned parents and Utah citizens who are troubled by child pornography and who want to protect their children and help fight against the problem. ICAC Commander Jessica Farnsworth answers the questions below.
Are there warning signs? How can we can recognize those who view and/or trade, sell and share child pornography?
What are the various behaviors that act as ‘gateways’, which could lead a person to child pornography?
Are there any signals or warning signs that indicate a child is being sexually abused?
What can we do to protect our kids?
What do parents need to know about posting photos of their children on social media?
What does the average citizen need to know about child pornography?
What is the best way to get involved in stopping child pornography?
Last Thursday and Friday, April 25-26, ABC4‘s Brittany Johnson highlighted the reality of the growing child pornography problem in Utah in a two-part special segment. Thursday, ABC4 rode along with Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) special agents to see the frontline action and experience the battle first hand. Friday, ABC4 spoke with Special Agent Sete Aulai and revealed who these perpetrators are and what you can do to help fight this epidemic.
TRIGGER WARNING: The following videos contain graphic and disturbing details regarding the sexual assault of children.
Utah’s Child Pornography Problem: Part 1 (Courtesy of ABC4 Utah)
Utah’s Child Pornography Problem: Part 2(Courtesy of ABC4 Utah)
Utah has one of the highest child pornography rates in the nation. Child pornography represents one of the cruelest and most horrific forms of sexual abuse against children. It preserves the very worst moments of a child’s life for the gratification of their abusers. The videos and images of child sexual abuse are traded, shared, and viewed as both currency and commodity. Some perpetrators use it as a tool to normalize their behavior and groom their victims.
It is important to educate the public on what child pornography is, the way it is disseminated and traded, and how to protect your children from becoming victims of this kind of sexual exploitation.
