Police Probe 2,000 Canadians Linked to U.S. Child Porn Ring
Suspects allegedly subscribed to illicit Web sites
Michael Higgins
Originally published in the National Post, with files from The Province, Knight Ridder and Ottawa Citizen, August 10, 2001
Two thousand Canadians who subscribed to explicit child pornography Web sites are believed to be under investigation by the RCMP.
The Canadians used their credit cards to subscribe to a Texas Internet service and gain access to sites featuring children as young as four engaging in sexual activities.
Investigators obtained a complete list of subscribers to the service following a two-year inquiry in the United States, which this week saw one man jailed for life and his wife for 14 years.
The RCMP is understood to be working with U.S. investigators on an operation called Project Snowball that could lead to the arrest of the Canadian suspects.
Police sources said Project Snowball has identified 406 suspects in British Columbia, 232 in Alberta, 52 in Saskatchewan, 82 in Manitoba, 946 in Ontario, 436 in Quebec, 61 in Nova Scotia, 35 in New Brunswick, eight in Newfoundland, six in Prince Edward Island, 20 in the Northwest Territories, and four in the Yukon.
"The protection of our youth in Canada is one of the RCMP's top priorities. It is a serious problem in that our youth is the most vulnerable to people with criminal intent," said RCMP Sergeant Paul Marsh.
U.S. authorities this week arrested 100 U.S. subscribers in what they called the largest child-pornography business discovered in the U.S. Those arrested included people "from the very wealthy to those who have nothing, people across the socio-economic spectrum," said Postal Inspector Kenny Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Arrests included a registered child sex offender and an employee of a psychiatric hospital treating sexually abused children.
Mr. Smith said 40% of all individuals arrested for possession of child pornography have a history of molesting children.
Promising a crackdown on subscribers, investigators said those who bought the product were as dangerous as those who sold it.
"The consumer, or user, of child pornography is no less responsible for the sexual exploitation of children than is the producer or distributor," said Kenneth Weaver, the Postal Service's chief inspector.
A judge in Texas this week sentenced Thomas Reedy, 37, to 1,335 years in prison after he was convicted of 89 counts in the child pornography case, including sexual exploitation of minors, distribution of child pornography and conspiracy. His wife, Janice, 32, the ring's bookkeeper, got 14 years in prison. Reedy's company, Landslide Productions, took in up to US $1.4-million each month.
The company provided access to 5,700 pornographic Web sites, including child pornography in Russia and Indonesia.
For US $29.95 a month per site, subscribers gained access to sites that advertised themselves with such phrases as "Child Rape" or "Cyber Lolita."
Officials said the Reedys enjoyed a comfortable life, living in a home valued at $425,000 and driving two Mercedes-Benz cars.
After they seized control of Landslide in September, 1999, federal and state authorities turned their attention to consumers. Postal officials said inspectors worked with 30 federally-funded task forces around the nation to identify and arrest would-be buyers.
