Tor hidden service deanonymized by the FBI (in 2012...)

http://www.justice.gov/usao/ne/press_releases/2013%20Web%20Annual%20Report.pdf (pg22)

Aaron McGrath was convicted and sentenced for t he crime of Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise. McGrath was s entenced to twenty year s of imprisonment. After his release from prison he will begin a 10 year term of supervised release. McGrath created and operated thr ee separate websites dedicated to advertising and distributing child pornogr aphy between January 2009 and November 2012. McGrath administered the websites from his workplac e, a server farm in Bellevue, Nebraska, and from his home in Omaha, Nebraska. T he websites, named PedoBoard, PedoBook and TB3 were only accessible on the TOR ne twork. The TOR network facilitates anonymous and, for the most part, untraceable communications by users. One of the sites had 5,600 members, 3,000 message threads and 24,000 postings as of December 2012. Sub-forums included sections of child pornography involving: Babies; Prepubescent Boys; Prepubescent Girls; Te enage Boys and Teenage Girls. The text area of the site included a forum devoted to pedophilia. One site alone contained well over 10,000 child pornography images with the youngest victims being infants and toddlers. The investigation has resulted in 25 additional defendants discovered using one or more of McGrath's boards on the TOR network.


Comments


[2 Points] galaxyandspace:

If his server and connections where set up wrong, he brought it upon himself, and its not the networks problem.

However the above is usually not the case. Usually the person in charge messes up at some point, and that brings everything down.


[2 Points] gwern:

I tried to look him up in PACER. Most of the documents for his case seem to still be sealed; the complaint is not available, and the available indictment is useless:

Docket Text: CRIMINAL COVER SHEET as to defendant Aaron McGrath. ACCESS TO THE PDF DOCUMENT IS RESTRICTED TO CASE PARTICIPANTS AND THE COURT PURSUANT TO THE E-GOVERNMENT ACT AND FEDERAL RULE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 49.1(a). ALL COUNSEL OF RECORD IN MULTI-DEFENDANT CASES MAY ACCESS THIS DOCUMENT. (GJG)[8:12-mj-00354-FG3 SEALED]

and

Docket Text: AMENDED CRIMINAL COVER SHEET as to defendant Aaron McGrath. ACCESS TO THE PDF DOCUMENT IS RESTRICTED TO CASE PARTICIPANTS AND THE COURT PURSUANT TO THE E-GOVERNMENT ACT AND FEDERAL RULE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 49.1(a). ALL COUNSEL OF RECORD IN MULTI-DEFENDANT CASES MAY ACCESS THIS DOCUMENT. (GJG)[8:12-mj-00354-FG3 SEALED]

I guess this means some of the related trials are still ongoing? Dunno.