MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of a joint investigation into “dark web sites” used for CSAM that led to the conviction of 18 people, including a Madison man.
Operation Grayskull, according to the DOJ, was a successful joint effort between the DOJ and the FBI that led to “the dismantling of four dark web sites dedicated to images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.”
On July 23, the department said 18 people were convicted in the operation, including a newly sentenced Minnesota man. The DOJ said the Minnesota man was sentenced to 250 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for his role in one of the dark web sites. He was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.
“This operation represents one of the most significant strikes ever made against online child exploitation networks,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “We’ve not only dismantled dangerous platforms on the dark web, but we’ve also brought key perpetrators to justice and delivered a powerful message: you cannot hide behind anonymity to harm children.”
Among the eight convicted & sentenced is a Madison man, 58-year-old William Michael Spearman. He pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise in June 2023.
In November 2022, a search in Madison led to the arrest of a Spearman and connected him to a child pornography and trafficking website, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit filed in federal court in Alabama.
Upon his arrest, agents say Spearman admitted he had been active on the website since 2018, shared child pornography on the site, and took steps to manage the site, according to court records. There was also child pornography on devices in his home, according to the affidavit.
Court records show that he was the lead administrator of a website that distributed pictures and videos of children being sexually abused.
The website included sections devoted to different subjects, like infants and toddlers, children being tortured and how to avoid detection by law enforcement. As admin of this site, Spearman had ‘staff’ members, whom he directed on how to run and promote the site and keep records of child sexual abuse material, court records indicate.
You can view the eight people convicted and sentenced for their involvement in running the primary site targeted by Operation Grayskull:
The DOJ said in other districts across the country, nine additional people have been convicted for their roles in the websites:
- Charles Hand, of Aberdeen, Maryland, was prosecuted in the District of Maryland and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
- Michael Ibarra, of Wenatchee, Washington, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Washington and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
- Clay Trimble, of Fordyce, Arkansas, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
- David Craig, of Houston, Texas, was prosecuted in the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
- Robert Rella of Chesapeake, Virginia, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.
- Samuel Hicks, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was prosecuted in the Northern District of Indiana and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
- Richard Smith of Dallas, Texas, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Texas and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
- Patrick Harrison, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was prosecuted in the Western District of Michigan and was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison.
- Thomas Gailus, of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and his sentencing is pending.
Two other people in the U.S died before being charged in this operation, the DOJ said.
The operation also resulted in the arrests of people from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Belgium, and South Africa.
“Substantial assistance for the cases prosected in the Southern District of Florida was provided by FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies in Huntsville, Alabama; Reno, Nevada; Clarksville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Tacoma, Washington; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Minneapolis, Minnesota; CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Alabama, District of Nevada, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Wisconsin, Western District of Washington, Western District of Michigan, and District of Minnesota,” the DOJ said.
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