Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges to eight individuals connected to an international child pornography ring after authorities uncovered advertisements on social media selling large amounts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the investigation revealed a group led by Mehmet Berk Bozuyuk, a resident of Turkey, allegedly transferred massive amounts of CSAM to buyers, including eight men in the United States.
James Uthmeier announced the major bust in a press release on Monday.
“The arrests of these predators are just the beginning. Every image of child abuse leaves a lasting scar on an innocent life, and we will aggressively prosecute these heinous crimes,” Uthmeier said in a press release. “It’s disgusting that child sexual abuse material is advertised in plain view on apps such as TikTok, and we will continue fighting to get these major social media companies to do their part in shutting down the spread of this material.
"I’m grateful for our FDLE partners who uncovered this deviant network and highlighted their sickening actions. Our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure these disgusting criminals face justice," Uthmeier added.
Of the eight charged, seven have ties to Florida. Those individuals charged were Frankie Piniero Jr., Brett Ryan Moore, Israel Cole Thompson, Brett Allen Snodderly, Jacob Ross Cony, Kody Vance Jordan Muti, and Michael Andrew Warren.
All seven were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit RICO, purchase of child pornography, and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
An eighth individual, Krunal Kumar Nareshbhai Modi of New Jersey, was charged with one count each of racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO), conspiracy to commit RICO, and money laundering.
Uthmeier also announced arrest warrants for Mehmet Berk Bozuyuk and Xiomara Del Real Maqueda in Oregon.
Bozuyuk is charged with RICO, conspiracy to commit RICO, money laundering, 13 counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child 10 images or more, 11 counts of selling child pornography, 13 counts of out-of-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, 13 counts of distribution of obscene material, and nine counts of use of two-way communication device.
Xiomara Del Real Maqueda was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering
Specifically, authorities found the global ring through an undercover review of websites familiar to law enforcement that are used by individuals for the distribution of child pornography.
Specifically, investigators responded to an ad listing more than six terabytes of material for $100 and received more than 1 million videos and pictures, all determined to be CSAM. Authorities also seized the domain of the website so that additional web traffic would be redirected to FDLE to stop further distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation also uncovered individuals who took part in the operation for profit. Of those, at least four worked as money mules, who then pocketed a portion of the total and sent the remainder to Bozuyuk.
Bozuyuk then diverted the money by purchasing access to unsuspecting victims’ financial accounts through the dark web before taking possession.
Special Counsel Rita Peters from the Office of Statewide Prosecution will head the case.
