Australian police charge 19 men with child sex abuse after FBI tips about dark web sharing

Source: Associated Press

Australian police charge 19 men with child sex abuse after FBI tips about dark web sharing

Updated 10:59 PM EDT, August 7, 2023

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Police have charged 19 men in Australia with child sex abuse offenses and rescued 13 children from further harm following tips from the American FBI of an international online criminal network, officials said Tuesday.

Two of the 19 men already were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of almost 15 years in the Australian Capital Territory and five years in New South Wales state, Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider said.

“We will allege that these men were members of a technologically sophisticated online child abuse network that was operating across the country,” Schneider told reporters.

The 19 had been charged with a total 138 offenses related to peer-to-peer sharing of video and images on the dark web. Most were information technology professionals with a high degree of technical competence, she said.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/australia-child-abuse-fbi-4274776355c25cee43df6b48cd852e51