Cruise ship worker arrested for online porn charges not the first

by Chris Owen on

Celebrity Cruises audio-visual manager Amado Hernandez won’t be sailing on a scheduled Panama Canal cruise this week after being arrested by the FBI on child-pornography charges in San Diego Tuesday.

The investigation began when a computer technician was given what he thought was a broken computer at an estate sale last summer. The technician repaired the machine and discovered 450 still images and 250 video files of child pornography which he turned over to law enforcement authorities who then linked 31 year-old Hernandez to the machine.

According to the federal complaint reported by Signon San Diego, Hernandez had provided “onboard guest-entertainment services” on Celebrity Constellation since August and was due to ship out again on Monday before being arrested by the FBI. In evidence from documented online chats, Hernandez told of “buying young boys for sex in Mexico” and had “almost offed one once.”

In the online conversation evidence, Hernandez allegedly asked a man who said he was from Arkansas if he liked young boys, then suggested, “It would be hot to tag team one, go buy one in Mexico.”

Hernandez is not the first cruise ship worker arrested on child porn charges either. Maritime attorney Jim Walker reports crew members from Carnival and Costa Cruise Lines were also arrested recently saying “It’s not an isolated problem.”

Flickr photo by naxin

Porn star rights Customs’ wrong

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A Brooklyn guy was faced with the worst of scenarios. Coming through customs on a return trip from Puerto Rico, he was cuffed in San Juan. He was accused of transporting child pornography, because a copy of the DVD “Little Lupe the Innocent” was found in his bags. Of course, Carlos Simon-Timmerman claimed his innocence, so in his mind at least, he was staring down two decades in prison for something he didn’t do.

At times like this, you cross your fingers and hope for a knight in shining armor to rescue you. Carlos got his knight … in the form of porn star Lupe Fuentes. He was freed from the can when Lupe flew down to Puerto Rico earlier this month to prove in court that she was 19 when the movie was made. The fact that she produced her passport and photo identification was much more compelling than the pediatrician called by the feds who insisted that the actress was underage.

So, if you’re taking porn through customs, you may want to do a little research. Get the stars’ cell numbers, or keep copies of their documents on file. You never know when you’ll need it.

And, just for fun, do you know what Carlos does for a living?

Ding dong … you’re pizza’s here.

Child pornography law may put an end to UK airport x-ray machine plan

by Scott Carmichael on

In the US, full body imaging machines met fairly little resistance. Of course, when something is being done in the name of anti-terrorism, people tend to just go with the flow.

In the UK, similar machines are not being accepted that easily. Manchester airport is the first in the UK to install the machines, and the airport authority issued the same kind of reassuring statements as in the US. Screens will be in a locked room, images will not be stored, and access to the screening equipment is limited.

Those arguments are not enough to satisfy UK civil rights groups. One group has a very strong reason to be against the machines – they are against the law. The UK Protection of Children Act prohibits any kind of naked images being made of children, including those made with backscatter x-ray equipment. Exceptions are only in place for medical imaging.

The images made by these machines are very clear, and show every detail of your body, including your genitals.

According to the group “Action on Rights for Children”, the law is so clear, that the airport won’t stand a chance of changing it. At the moment, the airport has had to cease screening children with the new equipment.

So, what do you think? Personally I think the risk of a screening agent taking photos of the x-ray monitor with his or her (camera) phone is too great to accept any of their reassuring words. I’m not afraid of photos of my willy showing up somewhere, but I’ll not accept the risk of that happening to my child.

I’m sure the vast majority of TSA employees are loyal and trustworthy people, but the risk of running into one bad apple is just too much. Sooner or later someone will violate our trust, and photos of naked children will show up online.

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