A District of Columbia man, Hershel Andrew Green, III, 42, was arrested on August 24 at San Francisco International Airport. Green faces charges in U.S. District Court for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Green is scheduled to appear for his first court hearing today in San Francisco.
Law enforcement identified Green after discovering electronic communications between him and another individual discussing the sexual abuse of children. Investigators say that Green both distributed and received images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children.
The investigation falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative started in May 2006 that aims to address child exploitation and abuse by combining federal, state, and local resources. The program seeks to locate and prosecute those who exploit children online and to rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force led the investigation. This task force includes agents from the FBI as well as other federal officers and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Its mission is to investigate crimes involving child exploitation and human trafficking within its jurisdiction.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar is prosecuting the case.
