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Seven arrested in California's computer child porn case
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-20 09:51

LOS ANGELES -- Seven men were arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles as part of an eight-month investigation that led to charges being filed against 55 people who allegedly possessed or produced computer child pornography.

The suspects used peer-to-peer computer networks like Limewire to exchange graphic images and videos that involved children as young as babies, US federal authorities said.

"The evidence is horrific," said US Attorney Thomas O'Brien, who announced the charges along with other officials at a downtown Los Angeles news conference.

The investigation marked the first time federal and local law enforcement agencies have broadly targeted peer-to-peer users sharing child pornography. All the 55 suspects arrested during the investigation lived in Los Angeles and other Southern California counties.

"There seems to be an insatiable appetite for this kind of imagery," said Salvador Hernandez, assistant director in charge of the FBI in Los Angeles, adding that child pornography often leads to actual contact with kids.

Officials said a lawyer and a police officer were among those arrested.

If convicted of possession of child pornography, each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison, unless that person has previously been convicted of a child exploitation crime, in which case any conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison.