Atlantis Private Investigations Assists in Conviction of Child Preditor

Case Background: In the spring of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, we were contacted by the wife of a prominent local businessman. She was concerned that her husband might be having an extramarital affair and requested surveillance. Additionally, she suspected hidden cameras might be placed in their home.

Initial Investigation: Upon retaining our services, we conducted a walkthrough of the house. During this walkthrough, we discovered a base plate for a smoke alarm in the bathroom used by her minor children (the husband's stepdaughters) and their friends. Suspecting this could be a hidden camera, we searched for small SD cards commonly used in such devices. We found several and took them back to our office for analysis.

Analysis of Evidence: A day or two after collecting the evidence, the client informed us she would be in the hospital for surgery for a couple of days. While she was in the hospital, we examined the SD cards. Most contained pictures of animals and wildlife, typical of a trap camera. However, one disc contained 45 files, some labeled "good" and others "great," along with some default-named files in a numeric series.

Upon reviewing these files, I discovered a video of a young teenage girl undressing, taken from a hidden camera in her room. The "good" files contained pictures of the girl in various states of undress, while the "great" files had videos of her either partially or completely nude.

Victim Identification: I took a screenshot of one of the images where the girl was dressed and, the next day, texted it to the client, who was recovering from surgery. She identified the girl in the photo as her teenage daughter and confirmed it was taken in her bedroom.

Additional Evidence: Further examination of the default-named videos revealed a male subject entering the bedroom, approaching the camera, and removing it from the wall. The client positively identified this man as her husband by both his face and voice in the video.

Coordination with Law Enforcement: Given the husband's popularity and law enforcement contacts, we were concerned that notifying the police through regular channels could jeopardize the safety of the wife and children and potentially compromise additional evidence. We advised the client to contact a family law attorney to prepare an exit strategy. We also reached out to a friend in the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, provided them with the evidence, and explained the situation.

Arrest and Legal Proceedings: Law enforcement quietly contacted the client and arranged to execute an arrest warrant at their house at 11:00 PM the following evening. The husband was taken into custody without incident, and the client was granted a protective order preventing him from contacting her or the children. A simultaneous search warrant executed at the husband's office yielded additional videos and a hidden camera built into a fake smoke detector.

Outcome: The husband was charged with producing and trafficking child pornography. In March of 2024, almost four years after we began the investigation, a federal jury found the husband guilty of actual and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor which carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.