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Child Porn Arrests

10 NYers accused of trading images online

By Karen Freifeld, Staff Writer
Originally published in Newsday, July 10, 2002

A former city police officer, a U.S. Army sergeant at West Point and a retired Yonkers firefighter were among 10 New Yorkers arrested yesterday as part of a federal nationwide probe of online child pornography.

The probe—dubbed “Operation Candyman”—began in December 2000 with an investigation of a members-only Internet group called “The Candyman” that allowed individuals to trade images and pornographic videos of children. The FBI shut down the online group and worked to identify those individuals by their screen names.

The latest arrests follow a March announcement by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft that some 90 people in 14 states had been arrested in the probe.

Nine of those taken into custody yesterday were charged with possession of child pornography and face up to 5 years in prison, federal prosecutors said. One was also charged with receipt of child pornography and faces up to 15 years in prison.

At a news conference yesterday, David N. Kelley, deputy U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, pointed out that those arrested include both “urban and suburban neighbors.”

Among them were John Hudak, 40, of Manhattan, a former NYPD officer who worked for years as a truancy officer at a Brooklyn public high school.He resigned from the police force May 28, after working there since 1986, said Gerry Varson, a police spokesman.

Also arrested was Anthony Agelire, 59, of Staten Island, whom authorities identified as a former transit officer, though Varson said the NYPD had no records on him.

Among others charged were construction company owner Frank Bellavia, 41, of Ronkonkoma; Harvey Perez, 40, a printing plant worker in Port Chester, of the Bronx; Rafael Deleon, 45, a sergeant first-class in the U.S. Army; and Edward Pissarek, a retired firefighter, of Wappingers Falls.

The men were scheduled to have been arraigned yesterday afternoon.

“These exploiters of children may think they’re safe at home behind their screen names,” Kelley said. “We will find them and prosecute them.”

Barbara Underwood, chief assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, explained that child porn is not a victimless crime. “Every photograph or image here represents a real child who was subject to … exploitation,” Underwood said.

Several children have been identified, Kelley said, describing them as “grossly young.”