Richard Szulborski, 21, of Lower Macungie Township, is one of seven men convicted and sentenced on various charges in the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Indianapolis announced today.
A 21-year-old Lehigh County man was sentenced Wednesday in Indiana to 15 years in prison for his role in an international child pornography ring that produced and distributed sexually explicit images of babies and toddlers online, federal prosecutors in Indianapolis say.Richard Henry Szulborski is from East Texas, a section of Lower Macungie Township, according to Tim Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indianapolis.
Szulborski is one of three men sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Indianapolis in connection with the child porn ring. Seven men in all have been convicted and sentenced on various charges in the case, while two who pleaded guilty are awaiting sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“This operation uncovered a dangerous and depraved group of criminals who were devoted to trading sexually explicit images of children under the age of 5,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Larry Breuer said in the statement.More than 20 suspects from nine states have been captured, and authorities are investigating more suspects in the U.S., Sweden, Serbia, the Netherlands and the U.K.
“As a result of this 18-month operation, more than two dozen children here in Indiana and across the globe have been rescued from their tormentors,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said.Szulborski received emails containing graphic images of adults engaged in sexual acts with infants and children between Nov. 19, 2009, and May 28, 2010, according to court records.
On Jan. 19, 2010, Szulborski sent an email to 51 people containing five child-porn images, court records show. He also engaged in "one-on-one discussions ... related to file-sharing programs," court records say.
Authorities executed a search warrant Jan. 20, 2011, at Szulborski's home. While the home was being searched, Szulborski was located at work and admitted to his role in the child pornography email group, court records show.
The federal investigation, dubbed Operation Bulldog, came to light in November 2010 with the arrest of David Bostic, 26. Federal, state and local investigators raided Bostic’s home in Bloomington, Ind., and found hundreds of images and videos on his computer of children between the ages of 2 months and 4 years engaged in sexual acts. He was subsequently convicted on 65 counts and sentenced to 315 years in prison.
The arrest of Bostic led investigators to others in the group.
Sentenced on Wednesday in addition to Szulborski were Shawn Kuykendall, 32, of Summerville, S.C., who got 25 years, and 23-year-old Javahn Algere, of Louisiana, who got 12 years.
Sentenced earlier were Bostic; Danny L. Druck, 58, of Kentucky, to eight years; Chris Reid, 37, of Saginaw, Mich., to 35 years; and Todd King, 41, of California, to eight years.
Nicholas King, 28, of Washington state, and 22-year-old Jeremy Labrec, of Texas, have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, prosecutors said.
“Child pornography rings pose a threat to children around the world and we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who participate in such groups,” Breuer said.Horty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman, said additional suspects were being prosecuted in other U.S. districts. He said investigators were working with authorities in several states and overseas.
The case was a result of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Neither Szulborski nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
He is not related to Richard "Bucky" Szulborski, of Bethlehem, who works with the Sun Inn Preservation Association.