A man suspected of making and appearing in child porn photos depicting the sexual exploitation of a pre-pubescent boy back in 2006 was arrested yesterday, less than 24 hours after the feds released images of him taken from his porn photos
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a statement late last night stating that Lance Robert Fries, 43, of Tucson, Ariz. was taken into custody at his attorney's North Tucson office at approximately 1:45 p.m. Friday by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Fries faces potential federal charges of production of child pornography and is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Monday.
Fries' arrest came after HSI released photographs Thursday of an unidentified man sought in connection with a child pornography case that involved the sexual exploitation of a pre-pubescent boy by an adult male. At approximately 11:15 p.m. Thursday, HSI special agents received a call to the ICE Tip Line regarding the suspect's possible identity.
Investigators were able to identify the victim and confirm that the boy is now safe. In order to protect the privacy of the victim, no further details are being released about his identity or relationship to the suspect.
ICE Director John Morton said "this is truly a remarkable turn of events and it again demonstrates the collective power that can be brought to bear when law enforcement and the public team up to combat the sexual exploitation of children."
"Those who produce and trade child pornography over the Internet believe they're protected by the anonymity of cyberspace. Through our collective efforts, we're proving these predators wrong and gaining justice for their innocent victims."
The child pornography images in this case were first discovered by HSI special agents in Portland, Ore., in 2006. The material was submitted to the Child Victim Identification Program operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which determined the victim had not yet been identified and was not linked with other known child pornography images.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form at www.ICE.gov/tips . Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to NCMEC, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
Related stories:
- 'Jane Doe' child molester suspect arrested in Los Angeles (Photos)
- ICE arrests more than 200 adults for child exploitation, looking for more (Photos)
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