How Bitcoin transactions were used to track down the 23-year-old South Korean operating a global child exploitation site from his bedroom
For almost three years, “Welcome To Video” was a covert den for people who traded in clips of children being sexually assaulted. There, on the darknet‘s largest-known site of child exploitation videos, hundreds of users from around the world accessed material that showed the sexual abuse of children as young as six months old.
Then it all began to unravel.
On Wednesday, the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed how it had followed a trail of bitcoin transactions to find the suspected administrator of the site: A 23-year-old South Korean man named Jong Woo Son.
But the case is much bigger than just one man. Over the almost three years that the site was online, users downloaded files more than one million times, according to a newly unsealed DOJ indictment. At least 23 children in the US, Spain and the United Kingdom who were being abused by the users of the site have been rescued, the DOJ said in a press release. “Children around the world are safer because of the actions taken by US and foreign law enforcement to prosecute this case and recover funds for victims,” said Jessie K. Liu, an attorney for District of Columbia where the US case was filed. “We will continue to pursue such criminals on and off the darknet in the United States and abroad, to ensure they receive the punishment their terrible crimes deserve.”
In total, 337 people from at least 18 countries who used Welcome To Video have been arrested and charged, the DOJ said. And in a statement Thursday, South Korea’s National Police Agency (NPA) said 223 of them were South Korean.
Many Welcome To Video users likely thought they were untraceable.The site was on the darknet, the underbelly of the deep web which cannot be accessed by a regular browser. According to authorities, some customers paid for the explicit images of child sexual abuse in bitcoin, a digital currency that can be spent without users disclosing their true identity.But the downfall of Welcome To Video shows that bitcoin isn’t as private as some cybercriminals might have thought.
At the time, bitcoin still wasn’t a widely used payment method. The non-profit Internet Watch Foundation, which works to remove images and videos of child sexual abuse from the web, found that some of the most prolific commercial child sexual abuse sites first started accepting bitcoin as payment in 2014. According to the DOJ, Welcome To Video was “among the first of its kind to monetize child exploitation videos using bitcoin.” Bitcoin can be attractive for people hoping to slip under the radar. Bitcoin is decentralized, meaning there is no company or official bank which oversees transactions. Users store their bitcoin in a virtual account — known as a digital wallet — without having to prove their real identity, as they might for a regular brick-and-mortar bank. From about June 2015 to March 2018, Welcome To Video received at least 420 bitcoin through 7,300 transactions with users in numerous countries including the US, the UK and South Korea, the indictment released Wednesday shows. Those transactions were worth over $370,000 at the time. Some of those transactions would ultimately help bring about the site’s collapse.
How authorities brought down Welcome To Video
To get on the site at all, users had to have special software. Because Welcome To Video was hosted on the darknet, it couldn’t be accessed by browsers like Google Chrome or Safari. Users needed to download software — such as Tor — that concealed their Internet Protocol address (IP address), a unique number assigned to every device connected to the internet. But in September 2017, authorities did something simple, according to the indictment: they right-clicked on Welcome To Video’s homepage and selected “view page source.” When they did that, they discovered an unconcealed IP address. That IP address and another found in the same way October 2017 were both traced to a residential address in South Korea — Son’s alleged home. At the same time, US investigators were carrying out an undercover operation. Once in September 2017 and twice in February 2018, an undercover agent sent bitcoin to an account provided by Welcome To Video. Each time, the funds were later transferred into another bitcoin account — in Son’s name, and registered using Son’s phone number and email, US authorities alleged in the indictment.
In March 2018, authorities searched Son’s house and found the server for Welcome To Video was hosted in Son’s bedroom. Authorities also seized eight terabytes containing 250,000 sexual assault videos. In total, 45% of the videos analyzed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contained images not “previously known to exist.” From there, authorities were able to track down other suspects. “(This case) involved a lot of cooperation between a lots of different people,” said Urszula McCormack, a partner at the King and Wood Mallesons law firm in Hong Kong who specializes in blockchain, the technology behind bitcoin. “Often it’s those weak links that expose the whole.”Data from the server was shared with law enforcement officials around the world, who used it to track down and prosecute customers of the site in 18 countries, according to a DOJ statement. In March 2018, Son was arrested in South Korea, and found guilty of producing and distributing child pornography, a charge that carries a possible 10 year jail term under South Korean law. In May this year, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail, South Korea’s NPA said. But Son could still face more prison time.In August of last year, Son was indicted on a number of child pornography charges in the US, including advertising child pornography which carries a possible 30 year sentence. In order for him to face those charges, Son would need to be extradited to the US — which has an extradition treaty with South Korea. He could be arrested if he travels there of his own accord. One of the reasons the US is interested in prosecuting Son is that the content was accessed in the country. CNN has reached out to the DOJ to ask if they will request an extradition. South Korean police told CNN they haven’t received an extradition request from the US — and while he’s in prison, Son cannot be affected by the US indictment.
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Three young children who went missing in Missouri in 2017 found in Texas with their mother
Three young children who were abducted in Missouri in 2017 have been found safe in Texas and their mother has been taken into custody.
Shawn Rodriguez and offspring Daniel, David and Ariana Olivera were found at a home in Arlington on Thursday. The 42-year-old Rodriguez is expected to be extradited back to Missouri.
The father of the kids was given full custody earlier this year, according to TV station KSHB. The children were taken from Saline County, and a warrant was issued for the mother’s arrest for parental kidnapping in August, according to KCTV.
Authorities allege that Rodriguez took the children two years ago. The Saline County Sheriff’s Office asked for help from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the U.S. Marshal became involved, according to KSHB.
Investigators came to believe that Rodriguez had traveled with the kids to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The children were all under the age of eight when they were taken, according to KCTV.
The children are under the supervision of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services “while they wait to be reunited with their father,” The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said.
Article via NYDailyNews
Woman pleads guilty to killing another woman in ‘botched butt injection procedure
A woman has pleaded guilty to negligent homicide after performing a cosmetic surgery that killed a 34-year-old Maryland woman, attorneys say.
Donna Francis, who is not a licensed nurse or physician, was performing a buttocks enhancement procedure on the woman in May 2015, when the victim went into cardiac arrest, a statement from John M. Ryan, acting district attorney for Queens County in New York, said.
Francis, 39, operated from the basement of a Queens home, used a massage table as an exam table and bought silicone gel from eBay, the district attorney’s statement says.
The victim had traveled to New York with her mother and paid $1,600 for the injections. But as Francis pumped the fluid into her body, the victim went into cardiac arrest, the statement says.
“The medical examiner determined the woman’s cause of death was systemic silicone (embolism),” prosecutors said. “Silicone, when injected into a human body, must be encapsulated to avoid free silicone from entering the bloodstream and causing an embolism.”
Embolisms can often be complications of silicone injections not performed properly.
The district attorney’s office said the victim’s mother called 911 after her daughter began showing “signs of distress” as Francis injected the second dose of a clear fluid.
“Emergency responders arrived at the scene and found the victim lying face up at the bottom of the stairs,” the statement says. “She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.”
She fled to London
Francis fled to London the next day, the district attorney’s office said. She remained there while she unsuccessfully fought extradition and was eventually brought back to the US in August.
When officers searched a second address she used, they found “syringes, a jug filled with a clear liquid consistent with silicone and an invoice with the defendant’s name on it for jugs of dimethicone (a silicone-based product) from eBay.”
She will be sentenced on November 14. She could face up to a year in jail, prosecutors said.
Photo Credit: cnn.com
Missing model found sealed in concrete after being ‘injected with pool cleaner’
A body found dumped in the Las Vegas desert has been identified as a 24-year-old woman who had been missing for almost five months.
Extensive measures were taken to hide the body, with AP reporting the corpse was discovered in a “homemade concrete and wooden structure” near the Nevada California border on October 8.
The Clark County District Attorney’s office later identified the woman as Esmeralda Gonzalez, a model and Las Vegas local who was last seen on CCTV on May 31.
Esmeralda’s brother, Juan Gonzalez, described his sister as “vulnerable” and had mental health issues.
“She is diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” Mr Gonzalez, told local news station ABC13 after she went missing.
“My family and I are worried sick.”
The outlet also reports that court documents show police received an anonymous tip on July 18 that Ms Gonzalez’s neighbour, Christopher Prestipino, 45, was involved in her disappearance.
The Las Vegas Sun reported that neighbours found Ms Gonzalez trying to open the door on the night she vanished, when they told her she was at the wrong house, she could be seen on home security cameras heading toward toward Mr Prestipino’s home.
During the investigation police uncovered that Ms Gonzalez had been at Mr Prestipino’s residence where they allege she was held against her will, strangled and injected with pool cleaner before her body was dumped the desert.
KNTV reported that CCTV footage also showed Mr Prestipino at a hardware store allegedly buying several bags of concrete.
On October 11 police met Mr Prestipino returning from a flight from Belize and placed him under arrest for suspicion of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder.
Lisa Mort, 31, was also taken into custody as police believe she had knowledge of what had occurred and assisted Mr Prestipino.
Photo Credit: Facebook Esmeralda Gonzalez
Woman attempts to give 2-year-old a bath in bizarre break-in
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A Columbus mother says she was horrified when she woke up and found another woman inside her home, getting ready to give her 2-year-old son a bath.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Areica Hill said.
Hill told WCMH that she awoke Wednesday morning to the sound of a dog barking in her home.
“I get up and I walk to my door and the way my house is set up, I can look down the hall,” Hill explained. “I see a white female lady, bent over the tub, with my 2-year-old in the tub.”
Hill said she fought the woman off, and her boyfriend held the woman in place until the police arrived.
Elizabeth Hixon, 22, was arrested and charged with burglary.
An affidavit in the case, filed in Franklin County Municipal Court, said: “Ms. Hixon stated that she entered the residence, to provide care to a juvenile, which was outside the residence.”
On the phone, Hixon’s mother told WCMH that her daughter had good intentions and that her heart was in the right place.
Hill said she had never met Hixon.
She plans to follow this case, as it moves forward.
“I would like to see other charges filed against her,” Hill stated.
Prosecutors have yet to receive the police investigation. Once they do, they will determine what charges are appropriate, according to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s office.
Hixon has posted bond.
via: https://fox2now.com/2019/10/18/woman-attempts-to-give-2-year-old-a-bath-in-bizarre-break-in/
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Officials split building in two to solve property dispute
RUGGLES TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – An Ohio man says local officials cut a building in half to end a property dispute with him.
It happened in Ruggles Township following a complaint by Brett Galloway, who contends township officials constructed a building that was partly on his property.
“It is pretty much the most ridiculous thing ever,” Galloway told WJW.
He said he has tried negotiating with township leaders since January, but last week, when they didn’t reach an agreement, officials put up a fence and cut down part of the building.
About a third of the building still remains on Galloway’s property. Officials plan to tear down their portion.
The building was used to store equipment.
Galloway said he has another unrelated property issue with the township that is already in court, and he had hoped to get this matter resolved.
WJW reached out to township officials to discuss the matter, but an employee referred the reporter to their legal counsel, the Ashland County prosecutor’s office.
The county prosecutor said trustees tried to reach an agreement with Galloway, but when they couldn’t, they decided to tear down the building. He said they couldn’t knock down the portion on Galloway’s property because he wouldn’t let them on his land.
So for now, the building remains sliced in two with part of it separated by a fence and a no trespassing sign.
Those living near the area said it seems like a waste of taxpayers dollars and “silly.”
“I don’t know who would think this is a good idea,” Galloway said. “I can’t use my property and they lost a building.”
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
A burglar hid in a Costco for hours then stole $13K in jewelry after store closed
A burglar in the Atlanta area gave new meaning to the phrase “patience is a virtue” — but not in a good way.
Authorities in Coweta County, Georgia, say a man cased a Costco and hid in the store for hours before stealing $13,000 worth of jewelry.
“I’ve never heard of something like this,” Jae Robertson with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office told CNN affiliate WSB-TV. “This is the first case I’ve ever had like this.”
The burglary took place on October 10 after the man went to Costco and walked around before leaving, the affiliate reported. He returned hours later and the store’s surveillance video showed the scheme unfold.
“The suspect or offender walks around and eventually hides behind a display at the front wall of the business,” Robertson said.
Deputies say the man hid behind the display sign for nearly five hours, waiting for the store to clear out and close up, the affiliate reported. Employees said they had no idea the man stayed in the store after it closed.
He first entered the store, waited and left before walking back in at 9:45 p.m. and reemerging after midnight wearing a black ski mask and gloves, authorities said. Video shows the man smashing a glass display and grabbing handfuls of jewelry.
Video from a nearby theater shows the man running out of the store and returning to a truck, authorities said.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Queens teen suing Lyft after recording video of driver masturbating
The brave Queens teen who recorded a video of her Lyft driver masturbating is suing the ride-share company — claiming the company failed to properly vet its drivers.
The 14-year-old girl — who says driver Narinderjit Singh ogled her in the rear-view mirror as he touched himself — claims the firm failed to conduct proper background checks on its workers, according to the suit filed this week in Queens Supreme Court.
Lyft was “negligent in its hiring process” and disregarded customers’ safety in a way that goes “beyond all possible bounds of decency,” the lawsuit claims.
The hack allegedly pulled the move during a 13-minute ride from Bayside to Flushing last October.
But the quick-thinking teen used her cellphone to catch him in the act — recording a three-second video, which she later handed over to police.
Singh was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment two weeks later, and later pleaded guilty to a violation, according to the Queens District Attorney.
Ultimately, both the driver and the firm “engaged in extreme or outrageous conduct” that caused the teen “severe emotional distress and bodily harm,” says the lawsuit, which was filed with help the teen’s guardian.
Lyft has since banned the driver, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Singh could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/16/queens-teen-suing-lyft-after-recording-video-of-driver-masturbating/
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
‘Swing Set Susan’ harasses Hispanic teens at park
A white woman dubbed “Swing Set Susan” claimed to be a cop and harassed a group of Hispanic teens in a profanity-laced tirade in Texas — telling them that they were too old to be at an all-ages park, new video shows.
Video posted to Twitter by one of the teens shows the group playing on an orange swing set at Fort Worth’s Dream Park around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday when the blond woman, wearing a blue and white shirt, a pair of athletic shorts and sneakers, confronted them.
“Stop! Stop!” the woman snaps as the group falls silent. “It’s a children’s park, stop. Stop now.”
Then she puts her hand on the still-moving swing in an effort to stop it — but it’s unclear if one of the teens was still swinging at the time, as a portion of it was cut out of the frame.
“We are children?” one of the confused teens can be heard saying.
“No, you’re not,” the woman barked. “And if you think you’re a f–ing child, are you over the age [allowed here]?”
The teens tried to tell the stranger that they were not — but to no avail as “Susan” continued lecturing them.
“OK, well,” the woman says while waving her hands, “I’m a f—ing PD, so get the f–k out of here now if you’re not here to play as a child. Read the f—ing sign.”
In a Thursday tweet, Fort Worth police confirmed the woman was not employed with their department, but instead was “a possible local resident.”
“We are actively investigating this incident for several potential criminal charges including Impersonating a Public Servant and Disorderly Conduct,” the department wrote.
In a statement, Fort Worth’s Parks and Recreation Department said the city’s parks and playgrounds “are open to all ages,” though some playground equipment is recommended for either ages 2-5 for preschool children or 5-12 for school-age children.
The woman’s name was not immediately released, and it was not clear Friday morning if she had been identified by authorities.
“We were just trying to play,” the teen tweeted, along with the video. “I guess we’re adults.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/18/swing-set-susan-harasses-hispanic-teens-at-park/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Amazon workers ‘forced to go back to work’ after fellow employee dies on shift
An Amazon worker in apparent cardiac arrest was lying on the floor of a warehouse for 20 minutes before anyone noticed, according to a report.
Billy Foister, 48, who scanned and stocked shelves for the Internet giant, collapsed at an Etna, Ohio, facility just a week after he’d visited a medical clinic complaining of chest pains and a headache. He was given two beverages to combat dehydration and sent back to work, the Guardian reported.
Foister’s brother, Edward, told the paper he was shocked his brother was on the floor dying for so long before an Amazon floor monitor spotted him.
“How can you not see a 6’3” man laying on the ground and not help him within 20 minutes? A couple of days before, he put the wrong product in the wrong bin and within two minutes management saw it on camera and came down to talk to him about it,” Edward Foister said.
According to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, which included Amazon on its 2019 “Dirty Dozen” list of the most dangerous employers in the United States, six Amazon workers died on the job between November 2018 and April 2019. At the Etna warehouse alone, 28 calls to 911 were made between January and March 2019.
An employee who worked the same shift as Foister told the Guardian that after he died, they were immediately “forced to go back to work.”
“No time to decompress. Basically watch a man pass away and then get told to go back to work, everyone, and act like it’s fine,” said the Amazon employee.
Amazon said they responded to Foister “within minutes,” but Edward blames the company for his brother’s death.
“There was no reason for my brother to have died. He went to AmCare complaining about chest pains. He should have been sent to the hospital, not just sent back to work just to put things like toothpaste in a bin so somebody can get it in an hour,” Edward told the Guardian. “It seems Amazon values money way more than life. If they did their job right, I wouldn’t have had to bury my little brother.”
In March, at the same warehouse, another worker died after going into cardiac arrest. In a 911 call, a supervisor tells another employee to “go back to work.”
In January 2019, Linda Becker, the widow of Thomas Becker, sued Amazon after her husband had a heart attack while toiling at the company’s Joliet, Illinois, warehouse.
An Amazon rep told the Guardian they “work hard to provide a safe, quality working environment for the 250,000 hourly employees across Amazon’s US facilities.
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images