Sting Opperations

A The Supreme Court upheld laws prohibiting child pornography in 1982, law enforcement agencies embarked on an impressive effort to stamp out the trade in this illicit material. With the rise of the Internet, however, child pornography proliferated beyond what anyone could have imagined. In the later half of the 90s, federal law enforcement agencies began directing their efforts online. This era also witnessed the rise of greater cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and between nations. The following stings represent some of the largest conducted around the world in recent years. Not featured here, but no less important, is the work being done in local communities all across the globe.

Operation Hamlet
Date: On August 9, 2002, U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Robert Bonner announced the results of an investigation dubbed Operation Hamlet.

Subject: The investigation centered on a group of approximately 20 individuals who were molesting their own children and trading the images and videos with others in the group.

Background: Operation Hamlet began in November 2001 when a group called Save the Children was alerted to a picture of a young girl being abused by an unidentified man. A company logo was visible in the picture and Save the Children alerted the National Police in Denmark, where the company was located. Within 24 hours the man was identified and apprehended along with his wife. A search of their home and computer equipment revealed information about others in the group, including a Clovis, California father of four who appeared to be the ringleader.

Results: Twelve Americans and ten Europeans were arrested in connection with the group. One member was found with more than 1 million images and 450 CDs containing hardcore pornography and child abuse. Thirty-seven children in the United States and eight children in Europe were rescued and taken into protective custody.



Operation Candyman
Date: On March 18, 2002, FBI Executive Assistant Director Bruce Gebhardt and Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the first phase of Operation Candyman.

Subject: The investigation centered on a Yahoo! Egroup that invited people to trade pictures of child pornography. The FBI estimates that there were more than 7,000 subscribers to the group, with around 2,400 living abroad. Those subscribing to the Candyman group were targeted in this investigation, but other Egroups were under scrutiny at the time Candyman was announced.

Background: Operation Candyman began in January 2001 when an undercover FBI agent joined the site. He had instant access to about 100 images and video clips, most of which showed prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with themselves and adults. Within a month, the agent received 500 e-mail messages, some of which included child pornography. By the time Candyman was made public, all 56 FBI field offices were involved with the investigation.

Results: More than 100 Americans have been arrested. The group administrator, Mark Bates, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Those arrested included day care workers, clergy members, law enforcement personnel, a U.S. Army Sergeant, and others in positions of trust or authority. German authorities are investigating 1,400 people in connection with Candyman and British police have identified more than 2,000 people suspected of acquiring illegal material from the sites in question.



Operation Avalanche
Date: On August 8, 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Chief Postal Inspector Kenneth Weaver announced Operation Avalanche. By this time, the two-year undercover operation had already made more than 100 arrests on charges related to child pornography, and had secured the convictions of the masterminds of the business, Thomas and Janice Reedy.

Subject: The investigation centered on Landslide Productions, Inc., a Fort Worth Internet business engaged in advertising and conspiring to distribute child pornography. Landslide offered subscriptions to more than 250 web sites, many of which were devoted to child pornography. Landslide collected 300,000 subscribers, earning as much as $1.4 million dollars a month. It is known as the largest commercial child pornography enterprise ever encountered.

Background: Operation Avalanche began in 1999 when a Minnesota postal inspector passed a tip along to another inspector in Fort Worth who then contacted the Dallas police. Working with thirty federally funded Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Dallas Police department infiltrated Landslide and arrested its owners.

Results: Thomas and Janice Reedy of Landslide Productions were sentenced to 1,335 and fourteen years in prison respectively. More than 250 Americans have been arrested to date, but the subscriber list contained names of more than 35,000 Americans. People from 60 countries have subscribed to Landslide’s sites. Police in Switzerland are investigating around 1,300 people in Operation Genesis, the German police have launched Operation Pecunia to investigate more than 1,400 suspects, British authorities have launched Operation Ore to investigate more than 7,200 names, and Ireland conducted more than 100 raids as part of Operation Amethyst. Canada is also investigating suspects in Operation Snowball.



Operation Blue Orchid
Date: On March 26, 2001, the U.S. Customs Service announced results of an on-going international child pornography investigation called Operation Blue Orchid.

Subject: The investigation centered on the Blue Orchid Web site, run by Russian pedophiles for the purpose of posting and selling pictures and videos of young boys being sexually abused.

Background: Operation Blue Orchid began in May 2000 when the Moscow Police Department contacted the U.S Customs Attaché for help identifying the owners of the Blue Orchid site. The Attaché requested the Customs Service CyberSmuggling Center in the United States to make an undercover purchase of pornographic materials. The information gleaned from the purchase led Moscow police to two men responsible for producing and distributing a number of tapes depicting sodomy and rape of young boys.

Results: Moscow police seized 400 videos, equipment, and billing records. The resulting information led to more than 50 leads around the world. Investigations have been completed in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands and are ongoing in several other European nations. The U.S. Customs Service has announced four arrests and the execution of fifteen other search warrants across the country.



Operation Snowball
Date: Details of Canada's on-going Operation Snowball first appeared in the press on January 16, 2003.

Subject: The investigation centers on the more than 2,300 Canadians who allegedly subscribed to child pornography through Landslide Productions, a Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

Background: Operation Snowball can trace its roots to the start of the United States' investigation, Operation Avalanche, in April 1999. When American law enforcement officers analyzed Landslide's business records, they discovered hundreds of thousands of subscriber from all over the world. Canadian investigators went to Dallas in June 2000 to retrieve the names of 2,329 Canadians. Six months later, police held a private briefing to determine a national strategy to investigate the crimes.

Results: By the time of the first press reports, Canadian police had made up to 100 arrests. This represents less than five percent of the names contained on a list of Canadian subscribers. Canadian police say the country is woefully unprepared to handle such large-scale investigations.

Operation Ore
Date: Details of Britain's Operation Ore first began to appear in September 2002 when two police officers who had worked on a high-profile child abduction case were arrested for child pornography offenses.

Subject: The investigation centers on the more than 7,200 Britons who allegedly subscribed to child pornography through Landslide Productions, a Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

Background: Operation Ore can trace its roots to the start of the United States' investigation, Operation Avalanche, in April 1999. When American law enforcement officers analyzed Landslide's business records, they discovered hundreds of thousands of subscriber from all over the world. After the Reedys were convicted, U.S. investigators released the names of international subscribers to Interpol. Britain received its list of suspects in September 20013 and began dividing them between 43 regional forces. Police targeted those in positions of authority or proximity to children first.

Results: To date, British police have arrested 1,500 people, including more than 50 police officers, judges, two Members of Parliament, doctors, and legendary rock star Pete Townshend of The Who. News reports also indicate that the FBI is ready to turn over another 8,000 leads as a result of a separate child pornography investigation. Police have determined that nearly one in five of those arrested was also sexually abusing children.



Operation Twins
Date: On July 02, 2002, police in seven countries arrested 50 people suspected of crimes involving child abuse and child pornography.

Subject: The investigation centered on a high-tech pedophile group that called itself the "Shadowz Brotherhood." This group of around 100 individuals employed sophisticated encryption software to avoid detection and maintained a "star" rating system that indicated what level of access certain members had.

Background: Operation Twins began in early 2001, when Swedish intelligence discovered the club. Netherlands- based Europol coordinated the yearlong investigation. At one point before the early July raids, British investigators flew to Georgia to rescue a young girl who was being raped by her father.

Results: Police forces in several countries have arrested 50 people in connection with the "Shadowz Brotherhood." Investigations into other suspected members of the group are ongoing. Police have also ordered 62 Internet Service Providers to remove material related to the group from more than 240 web sites.

Operation Artus
Date: On March 20, 2002, the U.S. Customs Service announced that eight American and as many as 30 international warrants were served in an international child pornography sting dubbed Operation Artus.

Subject: The investigation centered on a private Internet group that exchanged and downloaded child pornography on the Internet. The group contained suspects in ten countries around the globe, in addition to the United States.

Background: Operation Artus began in November 2001 when German National police searched the house of a man accused of distributing child pornography. The man cooperated with investigators to identify other members of the group. In all, international law enforcement identified 46 suspects, of which eight were from the United States.

Results: Police forces in eleven countries investigated 46 individuals suspected of trading and producing child pornography. By the time the investigation was announced, twelve suspects had already been arrested5 and twelve computers were seized, along with 600 CDs, 200 videos, and a book on how to seduce children. Three of the suspects have been identified as previously unknown members of the Wonderland child pornography ring that was broken up in 1998.

Operation Candy Box
Date: Operation Candy Box, which started with some intelligence passed on to American authorities, was initiated in the U.S. in May 2001 by DEA and FBI agents in New York City. It eventually became an operation which encompassed 16 cities in the U.S. and three in Canada. March 31, 2004- More than 130 people were arrested today in a two-nation crackdown on a huge drug trafficking ring that manufactured large quantities of Ecstasy and marijuana in Canada and then shipped them to cities around the United States.

Subject: One outcome of this three-year investigation, called Operation Candy Box, was the discovery that Ecstasy trafficking, which had largely been controlled by Russian and Israeli gangs, had now spread to groups with ties to Southeast Asia. The two principal targets of this investigation were Ze Wai Wong, a Chinese national, and Mai Phuong Le, a Vietnamese national.

Background: A second outcome of the operation was the disruption of a sizable money laundering business and the discovery of significant weaknesses in the U.S. financial system that make money laundering possible. The Drug Enforcement Administration, under its Administrator, Karen Tandy, has made financial investigations a priority of the agency.

Results: The large number of arrests was only part of the story of Operation Candy Box. The investigation also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of drugs and organizational assets, including manufacturing labs.

FBI LINK: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr033104.html

Operation Predator
Date: On July 9th, 2004 The Department of Homeland Security's new Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) delivered a pointed message Wednesday to any foreign national who might come to the U.S. planning to sexually exploit American children for pleasure or for profit.

Subject: Operation Predator is a new initiative developed by the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to protect children world-wide. As the President has made clear anyone who harms a child will be a priority target of law enforcement in this Administration. This comprehensive DHS program will identify child predators and remove them from the United States (if subject to deportation). Operation Predator will also work to identify children depicted in child pornography to help rescue them, and to assist in prosecuting the people responsible for making and distributing the pornographic material.

Background: This Homeland Security initiative is being driven by ICE's Cyber Smuggling Center in conjunction with every facet of the ICE organization. In addition, ICE will partner with other important law enforcement entities such as DHS's own Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, and other state and local law enforcement agencies. This initiative is also being conducted in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Results: Since March 1, ICE has made 88 additional arrests, garnered 56 indictments, obtained 77 convictions, executed 134 seizures of contraband and launched 192 new investigations into suspected sexual predators of children.

WHITE HOUSE & HOMELAND SECURITY LINK:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/07/20040707-10.html
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=1067

Operation Falcon
Date: January 15, 2004 An Indictment has been unsealed, charging a Belarus-based child pornography enterprise and a Florida credit card billing service in a global Internet pornography and money laundering scheme involving thousands of paid memberships to some 50 pornography websites, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray of the DOJ Criminal Division, Michael J. Garcia, Assistant Secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service Special Agent in Charge Patricia J. Haynes, and U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Martin D. Phanco announced.

Subject: Regpay Co. Ltd. is a credit card processing company providing billing services to child pornography websites and also operated its own websites, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the $3 million in credit card membership fees it generated in the six months ending in August 2003, according to the Indictment and separate criminal complaints unsealed yesterday. Late yesterday, the chief executive officer of Connections USA, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., another credit card processing company doing business as "IServe", pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to a conspiracy to launder money for Regpay and its principals.

Background: Under the recently enacted PROTECT Act, the violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251 carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years, and a fine of $500,000 or the gross profits to the defendant or gross loss to any victims of this offense, whichever is greatest. The violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252 carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years, and a fine of $500,000 or the gross profits to the defendant or gross loss to any victims of this offense, whichever is greatest. The violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956 carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission or transfer, or of the gross profits to the defendant or gross loss to any victims of this offense, whichever is greatest.

Results: Also today, 15 people were arrested or surrendered in New Jersey (see addendum to this news release) as part of the wider investigation targeting individual subscribers of child pornography internet sites connected to the Belarus enterprise. They and another nine suspects already charged were found during court-approved search warrants to have possessed child pornography on their home computers. Initial court appearances will be occurring at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark. Arrests in New Jersey have included a family physician, at least three previously convicted sex offenders, a campus minister, part-time teacher and church youth coordinator, and an 85-year-old retired engineer. Additionally, at least 20 other individuals have been arrested nationwide during the investigation of Belarus-based Regpay Co. LTD, which sold memberships to dozens of child pornography websites, including at least four of its own.Christie credited Special Agents of the IRS Criminal Investigation section, among others, with aiding in the success of this operation. Christie also thanked Mastercard and VISA for their cooperation in the investigation.

Operation Cyber Sweep
Date: Since Operation Cyber Sweep began on Oct. 1, investigators have uncovered more than 125,000 victims who have incurred losses of more than $100 million. November 20, 2003 - Federal law enforcement agencies today announced the arrests or convictions of 125 people and the return of 70 indictments in a coordinated nationwide enforcement operation designed to crack down on the leading types of online fraud. The ongoing operation, known as Operation Cyber Sweep, was spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Justice in coordination with numerous federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies.

Subject: The case includes: The investigation targeted a variety of online economic crimes that involved schemes including fraud, software piracy and the fencing of stolen goods. One man who admitted to obtaining stolen credit card numbers from various individuals and used the information to purchase more than $80,000 in computer equipment and electronic devices from Kent, Conn.-based Outpost.com. A 21-year-old man who pleaded guilty to two felony charges of securities fraud and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Another man who was indicted on charges of hacking into computers across the country to launch spam e-mail attacks criticizing the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. He was also charged with identity theft for illegally using the e-mail address of reporters at Philadelphia newspapers And a woman who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possessing unauthorized access devices. The defendant engaged in "phishing" by sending fake e-mail messages to America Online customers, advising them to update their credit card and personal information on file with AOL to maintain their accounts.

Background: In the first nine months of 2003, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a joint project of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, referred 58,392 Internet-related fraud complaints to law enforcement officials. That compared to 48,000 Internet-related fraud complaints referred to law enforcement in all of 2002. As part of the effort, ClearCommerce Corp. has provided information to the FBI about fraudsters that have preyed on some its members' customers as well as the various ways they're perpetrating online fraud, according to Katherine Hutchison, a spokeswoman for ClearCommerce. ClearCommerce is a founding member of the Merchant Risk Council, a group of merchants fighting online fraud.

Results: More than 125 investigations, in which more than 125,000 victims lost more than $100 million. More than 350 targeted subjects, resulting in more than 125 arrests or convictions thus far; and More than 70 indictments to date, and the execution of more than 90 search/seizure warrants. Our last operation of this type, Operation E-Con, ran from January 1 to May 16, 2003. That operation involved more than 90 investigations, the execution of more than 70 search and seizure warrants, and the charging or conviction of more than 130 individuals. Combined, these online investigations have saved consumers and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.

FBI LINKS: http://www.fbi.gov/cyber/cysweep/cysweep1.htm

Operation E-Con
Date: Today, May 19, 2003- the United States Department of Justice announced the successful results of nationwide Cyber Crime investigation called Operation E-Con. The investigation was coordinated at the federal level between the Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Trade Commission. A number of state and local law enforcement agencies, along with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), also contributed greatly towards the success of the operation.

Subject: The lawless, Wild-Wild-Web days of the early Internet are coming to a jail door slamming end as the FBI reports the arrests of more than 130 individuals and the seizure of more than $17 million in cases involving internet fraud and abuse. The arrests and seizures resulted from Operation E-Con, an effort coordinated by 43 United States Attorneys Offices nationwide, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Postal Inspection Service, Secret Service, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement alongside a number of other state and local law enforcement agencies both in the United States and a number of countries around the globe. Among the alleged online crimes committed by those arrested were multimillion-dollar swindles, online auction scams, identity theft, business-opportunity frauds, and piracy of software and other copyrighted material.

Background: In a press conference announcing the results of Operation E-Con, Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff warned high-tech scammers and schemers to "think again" before trying to hijack the Internet. "The Department of Justice will track them down and prosecute them the same way weve gone after traditional hucksters," Chertoff told reporters. According to FTC statistics, incidents of Internet fraud pose an ever-increasing threat to consumers. Three years ago, 31% of all fraud complaints filed with the FTC involved Internet-based scams. By 2002, that number had grown to 47%. By the end of 2003, the FTC expects Internet-related complaints will account for well over 50% of all fraud complaints filed.

Results: So far, Operation E-Con has initiated more than 90 investigations of complaints filed by 89,000 victims who reported total losses estimated at more than $176 million. In addition, the execution of more than 70 search and seizure warrants has led to the formal charging conviction of more than 130 individuals. During a single week alone, 55 Operation E-Con searches resulted in the arrests of 50 people, the filing of 48 individual indictments and 12 guilty pleas. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) - a joint project of the FBI and the National White-Collar Crime Center - reported in 2002 that it referred more than 48,000 Internet-related fraud complaints to law enforcement.

FBI LINKS:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/May/03_crm_301.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/May/03_crm_302.htm

Operation Pipe Dreams
Date: February 24, 2003 Washington,DC-- Attorney General John Ashcroft and Acting DEA Administrator John B. Brown, III today announced the indictment of 50 individuals on charges of trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia. The charges are the culmination of two nationwide investigations code-named Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation Headhunter and include indictments against national distributors of drug paraphernalia and businesses nationwide. DEA offices in Boise, Idaho; Des Moines, Iowa; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Dallas and Tyler, Texas were involved in these investigations.

Subject: With the advent of the Internet, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has exploded," Ashcroft said. "The drug paraphernalia business is now accessible in anyone's home with a computer and Internet access. And in homes across America we know that children and young adults are the fastest growing Internet users. Quite simply, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of families across the country without their knowledge. This illegal billion-dollar industry will no longer be ignored by law enforcement. Today, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and Associate Deputy Attorney General Karen Tandy has taken decisive steps to dismantle the illegal drug paraphernalia industry by attacking their physical, financial and Internet infrastructures."

Background: The investigation leading to the indictments in this case was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Pennsylvania State Police, City of Pittsburgh Police, Allegheny County (Pa.) Sheriff, Stowe Township Police, Chippewa (Pa.) Police Department and the Duquesne (Pa.) Police Department. Named in the indictments announced today are 17 individuals who operated 10 national distribution companies of drug paraphernalia. Ten individuals who sold drug paraphernalia in retail shops in the Western District of Pennsylvania also face charges of conspiracy, offering for sale, and selling drug paraphernalia.

Results: Recently the federal government has implemented "Operation Pipe Dreams" and "Operation Headhunter," which have resulted in the indictment of 55 online paraphernalia distributors.

FBI LINK: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/paraphernaliafact.html

Operation Web Sweep
Date: May 8, 2002 - New Jersey Attorney General David Samson and Christopher J. Christie, United States Attorney for New Jersey, announced that as of 6:00 A.M. DST today, hundreds of law enforcement officers throughout New Jersey, the United States and across the globe began a coordinated and unprecedented effort to identify nearly 200 individuals alleged to be engaged in the possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Subject: Samson said that the ongoing investigation, dubbed "Operation Web Sweep," was initiated and coordinated by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis & Technology Unit (CATU) - a team of specially-trained state investigators who go on-line to track, investigate, arrest and prosecute individuals who use technology and computer systems to commit criminal acts in New Jersey. Additional law enforcement resources and expertise was provided by the U. S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children and over 65 international, federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies. Samson said that the ongoing investigation, dubbed "Operation Web Sweep," was initiated and coordinated by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis & Technology Unit (CATU) - a team of specially-trained state investigators who go on-line to track, investigate, arrest and prosecute individuals who use technology and computer systems to commit criminal acts in New Jersey. Additional law enforcement resources and expertise was provided by the U. S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children and over 65 international, federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies. In February 2002, the Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis and Technology Unit disabled the site and removed all child pornography. "Operation Web Sweep" was implemented and a "replacement" website at the same domain address was created. The replacement website, which contained no illegal content, was visually styled in the same fashion as the original website. The site informed prior or prospective subscribers that the site had incurred technical difficulties and that it was in the process of rebuilding a collection of images. Through an assigned username and password, subscribers could upload or transmit pictures to the site.

Background: To date, the investigation has identified nearly 200 potential suspects in 16 nations (including the U.S.), 29 states and 24 New Jersey communities. The investigative actions initiated today include the execution of court authorized search and seizure warrants at the residences and/or business locations of those individuals who subscribed to the site and who provided child pornography images. The warrants authorize the seizure of computers, computer systems, programs, hardware and software which might contain evidence relating to the possession and/or distribution of child pornography.

Results: With the cooperation of the server operator, investigators said they determined the site contained images of "clearly prepubescent" boys along with advertising describing the site's content and images. It charged a membership fee of $19.99. In February, authorities disabled the site and removed all child pornography, then created a replacement at the same domain address. The Web site, which contained no illegal content, was styled to resemble the original. Previous subscribers were informed the site was rebuilding its collection of images. Through an assigned user name and password, subscribers could upload or transmit pictures to the site.

FBI LINK: http://www.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/CyberSweepSummary.pdf

Project Exile
Rochester has the distinction of being the second U.S. city to initiate a Project Exile firearm violence reduction program. The Rochester initiative is patterned after the successful Richmond, Virginia Project Exile program that cut the homicide rate in that commuunity by 36% during the first year of operation.

The Rochester Project Exile program was begun by Monroe County District Attorney Howard Relin, Rochester Police Chief Robert Duffy, Monroe County Sheriff Andrew Meloni, the New York State Police, the New York State Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF and the United States Attorney's Office in September 1998. The program refers for federal prosecution cases involving illegal firearms which meet the required elements when federal prosecution would provide a greater sentence than would state prosecution. The program promotes deterrence through a hard-hitting media campaign which highlights the significant sentences under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the fact that defendants, upon conviction, will be "exiled" from the Rochester community to federal prisons across the United States.

The participating agencies have formed an effective community partnership with Partners Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE), a victims' anti-violence group sponsored by Camp Good Days and Special Times, which is assisting law enforcement in spreading the Project Exile message in the Rochester community. A community Advisory Board has been formed of leaders from the business community and private sector, Rochester Teachers Union, legal community, law enforcement community, and the City and County to develop community and financial support for Project Exile. It takes an entire community to make Project Exile work. There has been bi-partisan support from the Mayor, the County Executive and the County Legislature. Two additional positions have been funded in the Monroe District Attorney's Office to assist in prosecuting Project Exile cases in Federal Court as Special Assistant United States Attorneys. Four buses and dozens of billboards have been funded with private funds and in kind donations from Lamar Outdoor Advertising and the Regional Transit Service, Inc. and Partners Against Violence Everywhere (PAVE). The participating agencies work as part of a multi-agency Firearm Suppression Unit which investigates the cases.

The Rochester Police Department has completed the extraordinary task of training every officer on firearms interdiction techniques, search and seizure law and the state and federal firearms laws. The Police Department has also successfully obtained a grant from the Carnegie Mellon Foundation for computer technology to assist with tracing all firearms used in crimes in Monroe County and mapping of incidents of gun violence.

Project Exile is one of a number of anti-crime programs recently initiated as part of Rochester's comprehensive crime reduction program. The Rochester community has also developed a very cohesive Juvenile Justice program which includes Project NightWatch and Project CeaseFire from the now legendary Boston anti-violence initiative, as well as an energetic Pathways to Peace Program which is unique to the Rochester area. Also, the Rochester Police Department has instituted a number of innovations and has put a number of additional police officers on the street. As a result of these aggressive programs, Rochester is well on its way to dealing with its violent crime problem in a coordinated and effective manner.

DOJ LINK: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nyw/project_exile/html/proj_exile_exec_summ.htm