USPS Press Release: POSTAL INSPECTORS UNCOVER INTERNATIONAL CHILD EXPLOITATION CONSPIRACY
UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE
PRESS RELEASE
postalinspectors.uspis.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Postal Inspector Lori J. McCallister
Phone: 202-268-4494
Email: LJMCCALLISTER@USPIS.GOV
JUNE 28, 2013
POSTAL INSPECTORS UNCOVER INTERNATIONAL
CHILD EXPLOITATION CONSPIRACY
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today the sentencing and
unsealing of documents related to the conviction of two men and the arrest of two
others who conspired to sexually exploit a minor and produce child pornography.
The minor’s legal parents transported the child to three continents, including the
United States, and sexually exploited the child multiple times.
In the Southern District of Indiana, it was revealed that Mark J. Newton, an
American citizen residing in Australia, and Peter Truong, an Australian citizen
also residing in Australia orchestrated the abuse of the minor which they were
legal parents of. Documents related to the arrest of John R. Powell, a Florida
attorney, and Jason Bettuo, a Michigan youth tennis instructor, were also
unsealed during court proceedings today.
“We are exposing one of the most heinous crimes in society: transporting a child
around the world for the sole purpose of sexual exploitation,” stated Deputy Chief
Postal Inspector Shawn Tiller.
The Postal Inspection Service led a two-year investigation of suspects who
sexually exploited children using the U.S. Mail and the Internet. The case began
when Postal Inspectors identified individuals who were trafficking in child
exploitation material. They identified Newton and Truong as the legal parents of
the five- to six-year old child they were sexually exploiting.
The investigation revealed that in 2010 and 2011, Newton and Truong traveled
with their child to the United States and other countries to meet with other men,
allegedly including Powell and Bettuo. During the visits Powell and Bettuo were
said to have used high-definition digital cameras to record the abuse.
One recording purportedly took place during a September 2010 meeting with
Powell, in which Newton and Truong allowed him to engage in sexual activity
with the minor and produce child pornography. In April 2011, Newton and Truong
took the minor to San Francisco, CA, where Powell and Bettuo allegedly
engaged in sexual conduct with the child and again produced child pornography.
Postal Inspectors also alleged that Newton and Truong invited Powell to travel to
Australia and France to meet with them and the minor for sexual activity and to
record the abuse. Powell is said to have transported the recording to the United
States.
The Postal Inspection Service was assisted in this international investigation by
the Office of Central pour la Repression des Violences aux Personnes of the
French National Police and the Toronto Police Service. The Inspection Service
also received a great deal of assistance and cooperation from Task Force Argos
of the Queensland Police Service in Australia.
Deputy Chief Inspector Shawn Tiller stated “We would like to thank our
international partners for the tireless dedication and effort in bringing these
criminals to justice.”
The Postal Inspection Service partners with the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity
Section, and the 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the United States to
investigate child sexual exploitation involving the U.S. Mail.
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