Trial Attorney Dept of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
This case study examines the website, Rapey.su, operated by Nathan Larson, a former candidate for Virginia’s 10th congressional district whose campaign platform included the legalization of child pornography. Rapey.su was a site dedicated to the solicitation/encouragement of child sexual abuse material, resulting in approximately 700 NCMEC CyberTips. The presentation will detail Larson’s initial arrest, the discovery, dismantlement, and recreation of the Rapey.su for law enforcement use, identification of approximately 8,000 registered users, and targeting of four additional Rapey.su administrators. The case study will present the legal and technical matters law enforcement encountered while attempting to gain access to and permanently remove the website. This investigation spanned globally and culminated with the rescue of fifty juveniles, including three infants, and approximately seventeen arrests, convictions and/or sentencings. The presentation will discuss their identifications, arrests, and prosecutions, with a focus on the lessons learned that may assist other investigators and prosecutors involved with the interdiction of large-scale child exploitation enterprises.
Learning Objectives:
Review the legal and technical matters law enforcement may encounter while attempting to gain access to a secure child sexual abuse material website
Review lessons learned during the recreation of the website and the learned techniques to identify, locate and interview victims and abusers
Discuss lessons learned and additional resources/services which can be provided to juvenile victims throughout the course of the investigation
