Feds charged him with trying to produce child porn

By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First

A Bennington man, accused of trying to produce child pornography, is among nearly 300 people arrested across the nation this month as part of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.

Nathanel Akin, 34, was initially charged in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Burlington this month with using a computer to knowingly try to persuade or entice a person under age 18 into prostitution or sexual activity in October.

Akin started communicating online in January with an FBI undercover operator (“UC”), requesting sexual contact with the UC’s fictitious 10-year-old daughter, the criminal complaint said.

By October Akin also had communicated directly with the purported daughter online, and asked the fictious 10-year-old girl to produce and send him images of her genitalia, the FBI said in court records.

Akin also sent naked pictures of himself, the FBI said. He used the name “Mark” to communicate over Telegram online, the FBI said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle ordered Akin detained this week pending further proceedings. Doyle agreed to conduct a probable cause hearing on Dec. 24, but a federal grand jury indicted him on Thursday. The Dec. 24th hearing will now become an arraignment, and it will be Akin’s first chance to enter a plea.

The grand jury charged him with attempted enticement of a minor to produce child sexual abuse material.

Akin has an earlier conviction for felony possession of child pornography, records show. He was sentenced to two years in prison with all but six months suspended in Virginia in 2014, federal court records show.

The FBI said Akin is supposed to be living at an apartment on Gage Street in Bennington, according to a Vermont sex offender registry. However, the FBI investigation in conjunction with Bennington Police and Bennington County Sheriff’s Department could not confirm his presence at the address. A neighbor also reported not seeing Akin.

Akin also does not currently show on the state-maintained website that lists Vermont’s registered sex offenders. The state list frequently does not include all the serious offenders or is often outdated.

Investigators later located Akin, who admitted he was staying with his parents on Coulter Street, the FBI said.

A cell phone that Akin used to connect with the 10-year-old girl has an address associated with the residence of his parents, the FBI said in court papers.

The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders.

The U.S. Attorney’s offices throughout the nation worked with the FBI and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Criminal Division for the Department of Justice.

“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a prepared statement.

“Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said this was an important roundup of dangerous individuals.

“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” he said.

“This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes,” Patel said.

Those arrested across the nation are reported to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking.

Some of the arrested offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children.

In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.

As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM. The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.

This effort follows two other successful nation-wide operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders.

The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD’s mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.

Officials said these operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation.

These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims, officials said.

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.