Child porn investigation nabs scores of Georgia suspects

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sixty-seven people have been arrested in Georgia in a three-month investigation targeting the distribution of child pornography over the Internet.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation attributes its arrests to the ability of agents in the agency's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to detect images shared online.

In addition to the arrests, authorities seized 312 computers and numerous CDs, DVDs and other storage devices after issuing search warrants on Jan. 12 in 35 counties, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.

The statewide investigation involved two dozen local agencies, plus the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service, three U.S. Attorneys' offices in Georgia and the Georgia attorney general.

The task force was created by the U.S. Department of Justice to help state and local authorities develop a strategy to counter Internet child porn and child "enticement."

The program, dubbed "Operation Restore Hope," was created "in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims," Bankhead said in a written statement.

The federal assistance program includes investigative and technical help, training, victim services and community education.