Two Seniors, From Sheepshead Bay And Mill Basin, Busted For Child Porn Possession
Cops charged a Sheepshead Bay man and Mill Basin man on Thursday, claiming that investigators recovered more than 240 videos depicting children in sexual performances, including one video of a child in diapers.
The busts were made public by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson on Friday, following the arraignment of Harvey Epstein, 68, of Homecrest Avenue in Sheepshead Bay and John DeCotis, 70, of East 51st Street in Mill Basin. The two face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
“It is shocking that anyone, particularly men who are 68 and 70 years old, would watch and collect such sick images,” Thompson said in a statement. “The children in these videos are real children who are being sexually abused to satisfy deviants who troll the internet. I am committed to fighting child exploitation and honored to have dedicated detectives in my Investigations Bureau who work tirelessly to protect innocent children.”
The busts were made after a detective from the DA’s office was given the go-ahead to prusue a “peer to peer” investigation, using file-sharing software. The software allows those sharing digital media on a network to see the downloaded files of any other other computer on the network. The detective snagged two IPs that had downloaded videos of boys and girls engaging in sex acts with adult men and women, allowing them to follow up with the internet service providers and obtain the addresses of those users.
Acting on a search warrant, cops seized a white tower computer at Epstein’s Homecrest Avenue apartment, on which they found 221 video files depicting children in sex acts with adults, including one child still wearing diapers. He was charged with 221 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, and ordered held on bail of $5,000 bond or $1,000 cash.
At DeCotis’ East 51st Street home, cops seized a Dell computer on which they found 21 videos of child sexual performances, including one of a young girl dressed provocatively and engaging in sex acts with an adult. The defendant admitted to detectives that he had downloaded 50 to 100 videos over the last five or six years, the DA’s office said. He was charged with 21 counts of possessing child pornography and ordered held on $7,500 bail.
Epstein is due back in court in December, while DeCotis’ is due back in April.
Approximately 1.8 million adolescents have been the victims of sexual assault in the United States, according to the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. The CDC estimates that one in six boys and one in four girls are sexually abused before the age of 18. Warning signs of possible sexual abuse of a child include sudden mood swings, unusual fear of people or places, and “clues” that seem likely to provoke discussion about sexual issues. You can find out more about identifying signs of sexual abuse in children – and warning signs that suggest someone is sexually abusing a child – at this U.S. Department of Justice fact page.
