WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2005

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D.A. BROWN: TWO QUEENS MEN FACE PRISON FOR USING INTERNET TO PROMOTE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that two Queens men face prison after admitting that they used the internet to promote child pornography during an undercover internet “sting” operation.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendants have admitted their guilt, waived their right to appeal and will now be punished for their crimes. These cases demonstrate again that law enforcement is vigilantly patrolling the internet to protect children from sexual predators and prosecute and punish those who would do harm to them. Individuals planning to use the internet for their own sexual gratification should know that if they engage in activity involving children they will be punished.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Robert Camara, 52, of 105-16 Martense Avenue, in Corona, Queens, the director of the QBI Training Institute in Long Island City, Queens, and Kresimir Bacani, 32, of 20-38 42nd Street in Astoria, Queens, a construction worker. Defendant Camara pled guilty on September 15, 2005 to Promoting The Obscene Sexual Performance Of A Child before Acting Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin Brandt who imposed yesterday’s sentence of one and one-third to four years in prison. Additionally, the defendant is required to register as a sex offender at the time of his release from prison. Defendant Bacani pled guilty earlier today to Promoting An Obscene Sexual Performance By A Child before Justice Chin Brandt who indicated that she would impose a sentence of six months jail and ten years probation at his sentencing on January 30, 2006.

District Attorney Brown said that according to the criminal court complaint, defendant Camara, on April 11, 2005 at his QBI office at 3300 Northern Boulevard, used the screen name “BOBLIC1@YAHOO.COM” to download and post images of children engaged in sexually explicit activity on a Yahoo news group named LGRLFKRSUNITED. The defendant’s office computer, and numerous floppy disks were seized and forensic evidence revealed approximately 8,000 images of child pornography which had been downloaded on the computer.

The investigation of defendant Camara began last April when the New York State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force referred a report to the New York City Police Department’s Computer Crime Squad which referred the case to the District Attorney’s Computer Crimes Unit.

According to District Attorney Brown, the defendant Bacani was arrested in Manhattan on August 24, 2004 after he arranged to meet an individual who he believed was a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual conduct, but who was actually an undercover detective. On August 25, 2004, detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant on the defendant’s Astoria residence and recovered his computer, numerous CD’s and VHS tapes containing over 80 images of underage children engaging in sexual conduct and lewd behavior. The defendant pled guilty on October 6, 2005 to Attempted Rape in the Second Degree and Attempted Use Of A Child In A Sexual Performance in Manhattan Supreme Court. He is being held pending his sentencing at a later date.

The investigation of the defendant Camara was conducted by Detective Waldo Gonzalez and Detective Bernardo Lora of the New York City Police Department’s Computer Crimes Squad under the supervision of Lieutenant John Otero and Sergeant Kevin Kelly and the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives George F. Brown. Detective Sean Ryan of the NYPD’s VICE Enforcement Division Sexual Exploitation of Children Squad conducted the investigation on the defendant Bacani under the supervision of Lieutenant Martin Hickey and the overall supervision of Inspector James O’Neill. Detective Ryan was assisted by Detective Dominick Franzo of the NYPD’s Computer Crimes Squad.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kateri A. Gasper of the District Attorney's Special Proceedings Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander, Chief, Computer Crimes Unit, and Anthony M. Communiello, Chief, and Oscar W. Ruiz, Deputy Chief, Special Proceedings Bureau, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.