Authorities in Greece on Friday announced the very high-profile arrest of a 21-year-old Greek-American man on felony charges of participation in a US-based criminal organization trafficking online child and pre-teen porn and abuse.
According to reports, an indictment includes evidence supplied by US law enforcement, reportedly showing alleged members of the criminal gang primarily targeting at-risk underage users on online platforms. The suspects would coax victims to send them images of violence, self-trauma, sexual acts, pornography and other prurient activities. Once an unsuspecting victim would send material, the latter was used to blackmail them to send more.
US officials branded the criminal organization as “violent, extremist and nihilist”.
The US State Department has reportedly asked for the man’s extradition, with the latter arrested last April in Thessaloniki, where he lives with his family. At the time, his extradition was rejected by an appellate council, given his dual citizenship.
However, an investigation by Greek law enforcement was also simultaneously underway on offenses he allegedly committed in Greece. His arrest and indictment brought him before the Greek court system.
Another young man, 18, was arrested in the same case as an accomplice.
The 21-year-old suspect denied the charges against him and claimed he went to the 18-year-old’s residence and merely accessed an application from the latter’s computer.
