Probation Officer Gerald Silva Convicted of Purchasing Child Porn

A Rhode Island state probation officer assigned to the sex offender unit was convicted on Monday of being a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha announced on Tuesday.

Gerald Silva, 59, of Coventry, was arrested back in 2012 in connection with a massive investigation into Toronto-based production company Azov Films. The investigation, known as Operation Spade and led by members of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Toronto Police Service, revealed that Silva was one of more than 10,000 customers who had purchased online videos from Azov Films.

At least 348 of the company’s customers – including Silva – were charged with purchasing child pornography from the website, according to Toronto Police.

Silva was convicted of completing 22 orders through Azov Film’s website, spending a total of $1,589 on 75 different videos, each of which depicted child pornography. The videos, police say, were shipped to Silva’s Coventry residence while he was employed as a probation officer. “Dozens of videos” were seized from Silva’s home during an authorized police search in 2012.

During his trial, Silva claimed he had ordered and collected the videos as part of an ongoing professional project, but a jury returned a guilty verdict after less than an hour of deliberations.

Silva was charged and convicted on six counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Each count of receiving child pornography is punishable by a minimum of 5 years in federal prison and up to lifetime supervised release. Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
Silva is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16.

Another Rhode Islander, 60-year-old Warwick resident Stephen Hickey, was also charged in connection with Operation Spade. Hickey, a longtime high school teacher, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in August 2013. He was sentenced to 18 months in a halfway house.

Operation Spade was a three-year global investigation that led to the rescue of 386 children and 348 arrests, according to the Toronto Police website. Arrested suspects included six law enforcement officials, nine religious leaders, 40 school teachers, three foster parents, 32 children volunteers and nine health professionals.

Azov Films was shut down in 2011, and its owner – Brian Way – was arrested.

Former Public Safety Trooper Arrested for Failure to Register as Sex Offender

U.S. Marshals arrest a man for failure to register as a sex offender.

Arturo Moreno is a former Texas department of public safety trooper, and a convicted sex offender.

DPS requested the U.S. Marshals assistance to locate and arrest Moreno.
On Tuesday Marshals and DPS located Moreno inside an apartment complex in north Laredo.

Two firearms were discovered inside the residence at the time of the arrest.
Moreno served 10 years in prison on charges of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping of a 17 year old but failed to register as a sex offender upon his release.

If convicted, Moreno could be facing more time in prison.

Former Reserve Officer Brian Livingston Arrested for Sex Abuse

TURNER, Ore.

A former reserve police officer in Turner has been jailed on sex abuse and official misconduct charges.

Until he resigned this week amidst the allegations, Brian Livingston worked as a reserve officer in Turner since 1999. On Friday, he was booked into Marion County Jail on charges of second-degree sexual penetration, three counts of first-degree sex abuse and official misconduct.

The Turner Police Department has not commented on the charges. Police only said the alleged crimes didn't happen while Livingston was on duty.

However, police said the misconduct charge stems from Livingston downloading pornographic material onto his work computer.

Jason Mink, who lives in Turner and said he knows Livingston, responded to the allegations.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. Somebody had to come forward and say something," Mink said. "I don't know exactly how he was caught, but where there's smoke, there's fire."

Investigators have released no other details in the case.

Livingston is expected to appear in court on Feb. 10.

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http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090131/NEWS/901310316/1001

Police Turned Predators

Here and across the county, sexual misconduct by police officers is a hidden crime, poorly investigated and often unpunished. An Inquirer review found more than 400 examples over the past five years of police turned predators. From New York to Los Angeles and in this region, from Bucks County to Burlington County, rogue police have used their badges to exploit women and extort sex.

The cases form a chilling pattern: The abusers tend to target vulnerable women such as prostitutes, drug users or those who have been drinking, knowing the victims probably won’t be believed even if they complain. Many victims never come forward at all.

Extorting sex with a badge

This article on police officers who extort sex gave an incorrect neighborhood for a police stop at Torresdale Avenue and Levick Street, which is in the Tacony section of the city.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/special/Extorting_sex_with_a_badge.html?viewAll=y

Tampa police arrest sex offender for 4th time

Why can't the police keep people like this the fuck off the streets? If anyone ever needed to be locked down for any amount of time this guy should be right up at the top of the list.

Tampa, Florida police arrested a sex offender who should have still been locked up, but instead let this 4 time sex offender loose on the streets so he could masturbate in front of two young children in a store.

Fermin Martinez-Ramos has a long criminal history with Tampa Police, and yet they continue to let scum like this on the streets so he can violate some other child. This time, two girls ages 9 and 4 confirmed to police that he was masturbating in front of them at the local grocery store.

This nasty son-of-a-bitch ran out the store before police arrived, but the boys in blue put the cuffs on him just a short time later, just a few blocks from the store. They charged him with 2 counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition towards a child under 16, and failing to report his change of address as a sex offender.

What I don’t understand is why jackasses like this are not locked down for a longer amount of time? They are some of the worst in society and don’t need to be free on the streets so they can victimize our most vulnerable.