2004 press releases

U.S. and Belarus Cooperate in Fight against Internet Child Pornography (February 3, 2004)

On January 15th, 2004, in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. officials announced that a Belarus-based child pornography enterprise and a Florida credit card billing service had been charged in a global Internet pornography and money laundering scheme. The charges involved thousands of paid memberships to some 50 pornography web sites.

15 people were arrested or surrendered in New Jersey as part of the wider investigation targeting individual subscribers of child pornography internet sites connected to the Belarus enterprise. They and another nine suspects already charged were found during court-approved searches to have possessed child pornography on their home computers. Additionally, at least 20 other individuals have been arrested across the U.S. during the investigation of Belarus-based Regpay Co. LTD, which sold memberships to dozens of child pornography web sites, including at least four of its own. The company and four of its principals are charged in the indictment. Three of those defendants were arrested in July and August in France and Spain, where they remain in custody awaiting transfer to the United States for prosecution. The investigation is continuing with cooperation of authorities across the United States, in Belarus and Western Europe.

"Our intention is to attack child pornography at all levels – supply, demand and the illicit proceeds derived from this vile international trade," U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said. "The Internet has a global reach, but so do we. That should concern the peddlers of child pornography here and abroad, as well as the users who make companies like these flourish."

"As this investigation demonstrates, there is no safe haven for child sex predators. Wherever you operate in the world, we will track you down," added Michael J. Garcia, Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The United States appreciates the cooperation of Belarusian law enforcement in working together to meet the common challenge of putting a stop to global child pornography.