The following is a complete list of case studies presented at the 2010 conference. This year's content will be added this spring.
Abandoned to Die: The Tragic Death of Alex Maxon
Alana Minton
Barry Moore
In June 2006, Michael Maxon left his one-year-old son with his wife despite repeated warnings from others not to leave her alone. When he returned home, his wife, Valeria, had drowned their son in the hot tub. Valeria Maxon was subsequently found not guilty by reason of insanity after medical records and experts from both the state and the defense determined she was actively psychotic at the time she killed her son. In January 2010, Michael Maxon was successfully prosecuted for the offense of abandoning a child. This case study details the crime, investigation, charging decision and subsequent trial of Michael Maxon.
More details: Alex Maxon
(The) Abduction of a Girl Named Fanny
Francis Hubert
Too often the victims of child abductions are never recovered. This case study, will examine the abduction and recovery of a 10 year-old girl in France that was investigated by the French National Gendarmerie. In this workshop the presenter will discuss how, through an effective mobilization and investigation, the police were successful in arresting the kidnapper and recovering the child alive within 24 hours of the abduction. The presenter will also discuss the role and organization of the Criminal Investigation Department of the French Gendarmerie and France’s efforts to combat crimes against children.
Anthony Stancl: The Facebook Extortion Case (Part 1 & 2)
Forrest Clevenstine
Mark Herbst
This presentation will examine the investigation of Anthony Stancl, a former New Berlin Eisenhower High School student, who was convicted for using the social networking site Facebook to coerce male schoolmates into sexual encounters. Stancl posed as a girl online to entice his victims to send explicit photos of themselves and then used these photos to blackmail his victims.
More Details: Anthony Stancl Case
Capital Murder with Hot Pepper and Salt (Part 1 & 2)
Mike Hess
Mike Ilse
Alexandra Rotta
Sandra Eastwood
Andrew Burd, a four-year old foster child, was found covered with scratches, infected wounds and bruises, and poisoned by a hot pepper/salt slurry drink with the highest bodily sodium level in recorded history. This presentation will cover the investigation and prosecution of Hannah Overton for capital murder, the medical evaluation of the case by a leading Pediatric ICU Doctor, and behind the scenes aspects of the case, including the rabid defense of Hannah Overton by her church, the 8 lawyer strong defense dream team and Hannah Overton’s unique family background, which includes grandfather, Marshall Applewhite, the mass suicide Heaven’s Gate cult leader, and Hannah’s church pastor father, who himself had been convicted of murder.
More Details: Hannah Overton
(The) Chandler Rapist- Inside the Hunt for a Serial Child Rapist
Jim Clemente
Chris Perez
This case study will detail the successful collaborative and innovative efforts by Chandler Arizona Detectives and the FBI to capture a child rapist in the Phoenix metropolitain area. Participants will also learn management techniques for handling a serial offender in their jurisdiction. Numerous audio and visual pieces will be used including, maps, videos, sketches, interviews, and photos. This case study will enlighten the participants regarding the full capabilities of a successful partnership in a multi-disciplinary, multi-front strategy to identify and capture a serial child rapist. Using unconventional tactics and collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU III), detectives built a framework for the case. This case framework included a multi-phase approach that included detailed behavioral profiles, geographic profiles, layered media strategies and victim focused safety plans. With the assistance of FBI Profilers, case detectives successfully narrowed their focus on geographic areas used by the suspect as his hunting ground. Detectives used critical information acquired after numerous neighborhood canvases, facilitated by a Phoenix P.D. K-9 scent search, which exposed detailed offender vehicle information.
More Details: The Chandler Rapist
Christopher Newberry (Part 1 & 2)
David Crump
Marc Bennett
In March, 2009, Christopher Newberry set fire to his mobile home, where his wife and four children were sleeping inside. His intent was to kill his ten-year old step-daughter that he had been molesting. Everyone was able to get out of the trailer alive but the girl received severe burns over most of her body. This case study will document the progression of the case from the perspective of the social workers, the detectives and the prosecutor involved in this case. It will examine some of the failures in the system that caused this fire to initially be ruled an accident and will examine the many positive things that happened in the months that followed; including how one very determined social worker would not let the case die. This presentation will document the case against Christopher, his arrest, his interview and ultimately, his confession to sexually molesting his daughter and trying to kill her to cover up the molestation.
More Details: Christopher Newberry
Collaborative f-Serve Investigation and Prosecution: Canada to Chicago
James Mooney
Katleen Muldoon
Gregory Sandlund
This case study will focus on the collaborative efforts between Canadian and United Sates law enforcement agencies to bring a prolific disseminator of child pornography to justice. This case study will discuss investigative techniques, the “new” old technology of f-serves and the benefits of choosing the right forum for prosecution. Finally, this case study will highlight the resilience and innovative determination of these offenders.
Daniel Rappe
Christopher McFadden
Nicole McPherson
Daniel J. Rappe was a fugitive sex offender for seven years before he was apprehended by a team of state and federal agents and prosecuted for failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice. This presentation will discuss the Adam Walsh Act, the roles played by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in coordinating a successful prosecution, the investigation of Rappe, the preparation for his trial, and the highlights of his trial and sentencing in 2009. The presentation will also offer insights into the mind of a sex predator. Rappe was sentenced to a 120-month term of imprisonment, the maximum possible sentence under the Act, following the first federal jury trial in the Midwest under the Walsh Act.
Encryption and Compelling a Password
Robert Butterfield
Philip Coduti
During this workshop, the presenters will discuss a recent case of sexual exploitation of a child and how the suspect was compelled by court order to enter his password. The crime involved the abuse of a live victim along with manufacture and distribution of child pornography. The digital evidence in this case included encrypted partitions on two separate hard drives. The discussion will also cover information on encryption methods, the feasibility of cracking them, and the significance of the wording in the court order.
(The) Finest and the Beast (Part 1 & 2)
Mike Barker
Carrie Landau
Colleen Ross
William Leen
Lori Warren
This case study will look at the investigation and prosecution of a group of pimps who utilized brutal violence to control their women and children in the prostitution game. For over three years in Illinois and Indiana, this group victimized 30 adult and juvenile females. The attendees of this workshop will receive an overview of this investigation from the perspective of the law enforcement investigators.
George Kenneth Hayward
Ed Smith
Marc Southland
This workshop will examine the investigation of an individual who was charged with production and possession of child pornography. The case was a joint effort of the Baltimore FBI, Harford County Sheriff, and the Bel Air Police Department. Some of the issues that made this case unique include the exceptional level of law enforcement cooperation; the unique investigative techniques utilized at the search site (hard drives found in the ceiling tiles, DVDs in a safe); and the interesting statements the suspect made while being interviewed. The presenters will also discuss the direct correlation between the child pornography he downloaded and his production of child pornography as it relates to the posing of the involved victims.
Ivory Dickerson and Patrick Connolly: Hacker Extortionists, Home and Abroad
Alexis Brignono
J. Steven McElyea
Nickolas Savage
In November 2005, local sheriff’s deputies notified the FBI that an unknown individual had contacted a 15 year-old girl living in the Central Florida area via email and had coerced the girl into taking nude photographs of herself and sending them to him. After a four-year investigation and the discovery of thousands of victims, hacker extortionists Ivory Dickerson and Patrick Connolly were arrested and sentenced to 110 years and 30 years respectively. This case study will detail the investigative process, international coordination efforts and computer technological challenges involved in their capture.
More Details: Patrick Connolly
(The) Murder of “Baby Grace”
Mike Barry
Tommy Hansen
Benjamin Stone
This case study will examine the investigation and prosecution of the murder of 2 year-old Riley Ann Sawyers whose body was discovered in a plastic box on an island in Galveston Bay. Until she was identified through forensics, this little girl was called Baby Grace in the media accounts. This workshop will detail the investigation and prosecution of the defendant who was ultimately identified, prosecuted and convicted.
More Details: Baby Grace
(The) Murder of Christopher Dotson
Rachel Clark
Carmen White
This case study reveals prosecution challenges in the capital murder prosecution of a man named Anthony Beckett for the beating death of his girlfriend's six-year-old son. Discussion of the case includes how to address a defendant's documented pre-existing mental health problems, as well as diminished capacity arguments and a defendant's claim of insanity at trial.
More Details: Christopher Dotson
Operation Joint Hammer/Koala
Jonathan Bame
Claude Davenport
Steven Grocki
Mark Zimmerman
This case study will examine the U.S. side of this investigation that arose following a series of leads generated by the European Union’s collective law enforcement organizations, Europol, and Eurojust. Their investigation, dubbed "Operation Koala,” began in 2006 when a child abuse video was discovered by Australian law enforcement. Operation Joint Hammer was a joint national operation in the U.S., which began in May 2007 and involved the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), FBI, ICE, and the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). To date, over 250 searches have been conducted by these and other law enforcement partners. These searches have netted numerous collectors and producers of child pornography, child molesters, and individuals traveling abroad to engage in illicit sexual acts with minors. In several instances, children enduring sexual abuse, some as young as four years old, have been identified and rescued.
Sex Offenders in Your Backyard
Derek VanLuchene
During this presentation, participants will hear the tragic story of the abduction and murder of Ryan VanLuchene on August 31, 1987, by a repeat sex offender. Participants will realize how far we have come since then to strengthen laws and streamline the management of sex offenders. In addition, they will realize that there are many things left to do in order to protect our children from these predators. This presentation will give participants the tools they need to assist them in their heroic fight to keep communities safe. Mostly, they will take with them a renewed sense of direction when it comes doing their jobs and the realization of how important each individual is in this fight for the protection of our children.
More Details: Ryan VanLuchene
Shawn Snyder
Aaron Mango
Robert Webb
The defendant Snyder was convicted of five counts of the production of child pornography, involving children ranging in age from six to eight years old. In February 2010, prior to indictment, Snyder pled guilty pursuant to a plea agreement, in which the guidelines’ maximum range was Life Imprisonment. This workshop will examine this investigation and focus on the level of cooperation between the local police department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The presenters will also discuss various aspects of the plea negotiations in this case and the importance of gaining the trust of the victims and their families in these cases.
More Details: Shawn Snyder
Terry Shields: The Lollipop Molester
Heather Brown
Bryan Sirkel
Bernell Trapp
This case study will examine the investigation and prosecution of a local school bus driver who molested mentally disabled children and kidnapped and raped a seven-year old girl on her way to school. Discussion will include how to manage and investigate a case involving thousands of images of child pornography with multiple victims in multiple jurisdictions. Discussion will include how to address prosecution challenges when victims are mentally disabled and can’t speak or deny sexual abuse when there is photographic evidence to the contrary.
More Details: Terry Shields
U.S. vs. Timothy Morgan: Utilizing Undercover Postal Stings to Contain at Risk Sex Offenders
Michael Corricelli
Christopher Kolcharno
This workshop will highlight the cooperation of the Pennsylvania ICAC Task Force and The United States Postal Inspection Service, which led to the arrest of Timothy MORGAN of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Morgan was a previously convicted sex offender out on bail for a second sex offense against a child. A cooperative undercover operation led to a search of MORGAN’S apartment uncovering child pornography and child erotica, leading to his arrest. The day following the search warrant, investigators received information that MORGAN was deemed a sexually violent predator for the case which he was awaiting sentencing. Due to Morgan’s past criminal history, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years. This workshop will give investigators an alternative to “test” offenders whose actions may not rise to criminal conduct, but show a propensity to be attracted to children.
More Details: Timothy Morton
(The) Use of Undercover Websites
Todd Zerfoss
This workshop will examine how the use of an undercover website can benefit child pornography investigators. The presentation will also discuss several successful investigations that were made possible because of the use of this technique.