WASHINGTON: U.S. and international law enforcement authorities have shut down one of the world's largest child pornography websites after a raid and the arrest of Jong Woo Son, the underground site's alleged South Korea-based administrator, federal officials said Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. attorney's office in the District of Columbia as well as IRS and Homeland Security Investigation officials called the "Welcome to Video" website one of a host of bitcoin-based online bazaars that filled the vacuum after the 2013 takedown of Silk Road, a notorious eBay-style black market exchange for narcotics, prostitution and other dark net contraband.
Since Silk Road's demise, U.S. authorities have charged rivals such as Wall Street Market and Valhalla as they emerged to take its place, but each has usually explicitly barred users from trading child pornography or soliciting killing for hire.
Welcome to Video's site, however, only warned users not to upload adult pornography, U.S. prosecutors have said in court filings.
At the time the site was seized in March 2018, investigators found that thousands of the more than 250,000 unique video files were linked to search terms for "preteen hardcore," "pedophile" and references to sex involving children as young as 2 and 4 years old, according to court filings.
Since then, U.S., Korean and British authorities have been unmasking the website's previously anonymous users, tracking server data to prosecute customers for making illegal payments, illegal downloads or uploading videos, and for widening the child pornography distribution network.
"The sexual exploitation of children is one of the worst forms of evil imaginable. Indeed these crimes are so heinous they are difficult even to speak about, but our government has no higher priority than the safety or our children," said U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu of D.C.
"Let today's announcement send a message: If you are involved in crimes of this nature, we are coming for you," said Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Richard Downing. They were joined by Superintendent General Oi Chul Yun of the Korean National Police and other U.S., British and Korean authorities.
Son, 23, who allegedly operated the site, has been indicted in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on nine counts of conspiracy, producing, advertising and distributing child pornography and money laundering. The government has also moved to seize 24 bitcoin accounts in a civil forfeiture proceeding.
Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea, where he is serving an 18-month sentence, Liu said. Liu declined to comment on whether U.S. authorities sought his extradition.