Sophisticated Porn Ring Shut Down – What About the Kids?

By Patrick Noaker








Yesterday, in Indianapolis, Indiana, two men were convicted and sentenced for their roles in creating and maintaining the child pornography website called Cache.

These arrests were a result of an international investigation that infiltrated this child pornography network . The Cache network had up to 1000 members who participated in a very sophisticated file sharing network of child pornography. Some of the pornography in Cache was created exclusively for the members. The two men received sentences of 30 years and 19 years in prison for their involvement with this website. Infiltrating and shutting down a major international child pornography network is definitely a good start, but the story does not end here. What about the children who were sexually exploited, photographed and filmed by these men? How are we going to help them?

Federal law has provisions designed to help these victims of child pornography. For example, there is the federal Masha’s law that allows a victim of child pornography to sue those who manufactured, distributed and even downloaded any images of the child from the internet. Our law firm recently brought a case under this law in Minnesota.

In addition, as part of the sentencing process in a criminal case, there is the opportunity for the victim(s) to make a claim for actual damages against the perpetrator(s). Even though this process has many challenges, with assistance of an attorney, it can still be used to get a money judgment against a child pornographer who is convicted of child pornography.

It is very important to remember that putting the child pornographers in prison is very important in our fight to combat child pornography. However, we must not forget the most important part of equation, helping the children who were exploited in order to create the child pornography.

I think that this quote says it all:

“When I was a little girl, and when I was being photographed and raped I used to try to send messages with my eyes down the lens and hoped that one day a good person might see and come to help us.”

(Letter from a child pornography victim read by Raymond C. Smith, Asst. Inspector in Charge, Child Pornography and Adult Obscenity, U.S. postal Inspection Service in testimony before Congress, April 6, 2006.)

About the Author: Patrick Noaker is an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates who handles cases involving child sexual abuse, exploitation and pornography.

Seven Victims Come Forward After News of Vatican Cover-up in April

By Andy Kerns


It’s working. This is exactly what needs to happen when survivors find the courage to come forward -- more must follow. This is the only path to achieving mass shifts in the way child sex abuse cases are handled and the way institutional corruption is punished. The emergence of seven new victims of serial rapist Father Stephen Kiesle is a tragic yet indicative example of how this process works and we applaud them all for their courage. We also applaud those who came before and inspired these new victims to speak up.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Kiesle case, it is a hallmark of Vatican sex abuse cover-up. Maybe you’ve stayed connected with this broader story of the Church and its sex abuse scandals over the years, and you’ve believed accounts of Vatican officials and bishops acting recklessly and inappropriately -- but if you’re like most people, you’ve probably never seen any direct evidence. That’s about to change. Take a look at this translation of a letter written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. It’s as strikingly pure an expression of corrupt and selfish motives as you’ll ever find, and if any one line sums this whole catastrophe up, it’s this one, penned by Ratzinger: “This court, although it regards the arguments presented in favour of removal in this case to be of grave significance, nevertheless deems it necessary to consider the good of the Universal Church…”

Tell everyone you know.

Unrestricted Priest Webmaster Arrested for Child Porn

By Patrick Noaker

Bishop Callahan speaking to the parish of Fr. Patrick Umberger after Umberger’s arrest for possessing child pornography,


This is a particularly sad story. A little over a year ago, Fr. Patrick Umberger of the Diocese of LaCrosse was kicked out of Noah’s Ark Water Park in Lake Delton, Wisconsin for following young boys to the bathroom. When water park personnel observed Fr. Umberger follow the boys into the bathroom, they called the police and revoked his season pass. Two days ago, it was revealed that the Diocese of LaCrosse knew about this incident, but never restricted Fr. Umberger’s involvement with kids.

Instead, the Diocese allowed Fr. Umberger to continue as a pastor of a church, teach at the parish school, serve as a chaplain at a middle school and function as the webmaster for the Diocese of LaCrosse and Pacelli High School in Stevens Point, WI.
Recently, Fr. Umberger was arrested and charged with possessing child pornography, when images of children were found on his computer and when Umberger admitted to being attracted to boys who were 12 to 15 years old. In response to the arrest and criminal charges, the Diocese of LaCrosse stripped Umberger’s duties “to protect all parties involved.” “The diocese cautioned the move should not be taken as a sign of Umberger’s guilt or innocence.”

Shame on Fr. Umberger for fueling an industry that is based on the sexual exploitation of children. Double shame on the Diocese of LaCrosse for allowing him to do so. Shouldn’t the Diocese protect the children who were sexually victimized in order to make those pornographic images as much as they protected Fr. Umberger?

About the author: Patrick Noaker is an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates who handles cases involving child sexual abuse, exploitation and pornography.

Concealment of Clergy Sex Abuse Lands Irish Bishops with “Revised Responsibilities”

By Andy Kerns

Pope Benedict XVI has decided not to accept the resignations of auxiliary bishops Raymond Field and Eamonn Walsh of Dublin. Field and Walsh submitted letters of resignation last December in the wake of the Murphy Report , an investigative summary that revealed a culture of cover-up surrounding rampant clergy sex abuse in Ireland. Auxiliary bishops Field and Walsh resigned just 24 hours after having their competence directly and publicly questioned by their superior, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Archbishop Martin says the two men are now to be assigned “revised responsibilities.” This sounds familiar, does it not? Revise, reposition, rearrange – as long as no direct responsibility is taken for explicit failure, it’s par for the Curial course. Only in the Catholic Church does the concealment of criminals and criminal, psychopathic behavior land someone with “revised responsibilities.”

A quick survey of public reaction to this issue shows that very few people would care if these auxiliary bishops were let go. And let me emphasize, they themselves offered to leave their positions. Sure, it was likely a reluctant move, but does that deplete it of fidelity or integrity?

What’s astonishing is the continued arrogance of Church officials who protect insiders and blatantly defy the wishes of all others concerned. And what of the others who should be heard the loudest and clearest? Haven’t the victims themselves requested the resignation of all men in governance of the archdiocese when abuse was concealed? A minor detail, I suppose.

The fear, of course, is of a domino effect. Pope Benedict XVI and other leaders are afraid that if everyone who is responsible has to fully and appropriately accept responsibility, the Church could not bear the weight of such consequences. Maybe it could, maybe it couldn’t. Either way, “fearfully” is no way to run a religious organization.

Detecting Child Pornography

By Patrick Noaker

A recent case in Kansas City, Missouri exhibits just how important constant vigilance by everyone of the signs of child pornography is in combating this tragic problem. In the Kansas City case, two workers went to the house of Richard Volberding to fix his water heater. While in Volberding’s house, the workers noticed images of what appeared to be naked children on Volberding’s computer. The workers called the police who got a search warrant and seized multiple computers containing thousands of images of child pornography. Recently, Volberding pled guilty to multiple counts of possession of child pornography.

Child pornography is a major problem in the United States. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline has received over 800,000 reports of child pornography since its inception in 1998. This problem is huge. That is why we all must participate in detecting and reporting possible incidents of child exploitation and pornography. If you are in the home repair or remodeling business, do what the workers did in the Volberding case and report anything suspicious that you observe. If you are in the electronics repair business, report any suspicious files that you observe on a computer or a camera. If we all pitch in, we can make great progress in detecting and ultimately preventing child pornography.

About the author: Patrick Noaker is an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates who represents victims of child sexual abuse, exploitation and pornography.