Pedophile ring: Thirteen Australian children rescued from global child pornography syndicate and 19 men charged in investigation over murder of two FBI agents

Thirteen Australian children have been rescued from a pedophile ring that shares horrific child abuse material around the world on the dark web.

The extraordinary cross-border investigation that led to the indictment of 19 people began when two FBI agents were shot dead on the front steps of a Florida apartment in February 2021.

Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were preparing to execute a search warrant for child abuse material at the home of reclusive IT worker David Lee Huber, 55, when he opened fire, wounding three other officers before escaping turned the gun on himself.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Huber was part of a sick network of child predators with ties to Australia – with many members found to have professional IT or specialized computer skills to avoid detection.

After being tipped off, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) worked with the US law firm to shut down the ring under the code name Operation Bakis.

“Two Australian offenders have been convicted and others are yet to appear in court,” the AFP said in a statement.

“An officer residing in the ACT was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison in June 2023 after pleading guilty to 24 counts in the ACT Supreme Court.”

The statement did not reveal the sentence handed down to the other perpetrator.

Two other men face 54 charges in the ACT, with five children taken out of harm’s way.

In NSW, two children are unharmed and five alleged offenders will face 13 charges.

Four children have been taken out of harm’s way in Queensland and five offenders have faced 45 charges.

In South Australia, two children were rescued and five alleged offenders face 16 charges.

FBI Agent Daniel Alfin was also killed by Lee Huber in a tragic loss of life that prompted US President Joe Biden to offer his condolences to the families

FBI Agent Laura Schwartzenberger was shot by Florida computer programmer David Lee Huber when she attempted to search his property in connection with the pedophile ring

One alleged perpetrator faces five charges in Tasmania, as well as one in Western Australia.

It will be argued that some Australian children have been directly abused and others have been relocated as a precaution.

The AFP said most of the Australian men arrested were in IT or communications professions and the ages of the 16 ranged from 32 to 81.

“Members used software to share files anonymously, chat on bulletin boards and access websites within the network,” the AFP statement said.

Glen Donaldson, acting Queensland detective, had a warning for others who believed they could hide child sexual abuse behind high-tech walls.

Computer equipment was seized by police and the AFP said most of the Australian men charged had hi-tech jobs in communications or IT

“Everything you do online leaves a trace,” he said.

“For those predators who want to exploit children online, remember that the next person you interact with online could be a police officer.”

Det Supt Donaldson said Task Force Argos and its international law enforcement partners would relentlessly target predators who use technology to commit crimes against children.

“These arrests are a testament to the commitment of QPS and law enforcement agencies worldwide to work together to bring alleged perpetrators to justice and save children at risk,” he said.

Nitiana Mann, FBI legal attaché, said close cooperation between the FBI and AFP was key to exposing the heinous crimes.

Two of the phones seized by the AFP in connection with the pedophile gang, for which two men have been convicted so far

“The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no single agency or country can combat these threats alone,” she said.

AFP commander Helen Schneider said such cases could only be cracked through the tireless efforts of staff “who never stop working to identify children who are being sexually assaulted or living with someone who shares child abuse material.”

“Criminals using encryption and the dark web present a challenge to law enforcement, but Operation Bakis shows that when we work together, we can bring alleged offenders to justice,” said Commander Schneider.

Senior police in the ACT, Queensland, NSW, South Australia and Tasmania worked together on the case.