A joint operation between the Department of Justice and the FBI resulted in the dismantling of four dark web child abuse sites, and has led to 18 convictions to date.
The DOJ announced on Wednesday that one of the convictions included Thomas Peter Katsampes, 52, of Eagan, Minn., who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise and conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and was sentenced on Tuesday to 250 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for his involvement with one of these dark web sites. Katsampes was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.
In 2022, he joined a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), advertised and distributed it over the website, which included CSAM depicting prepubescent children. Katsampes worked his way up to a staff position on the website, which included moderating the site, enforcing its rules for posting CSAM, and advising the site’s users about how to post CSAM.
“Yesterday’s sentencing reaffirms our steadfast commitment to protecting our children, the most vulnerable among us, from those who exploit and harm them through the despicable trade in child sexual abuse material,” U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.
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Author: Faith Novak
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