SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) has arrested Utah’s first suspect involving the use of cryptocurrency to buy child sex abuse material (CSAM), which is colloquially known as child pornography.
Christopher Merritt, 39, was arrested on May 20 after officials received a tip from Robinhood, a popular online banking platform. Robinhood staff reported that one of their clients had made a purchase of over $320 worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrencies to addresses associated with darknet websites. These particular websites are believed to be involved in the sale of child sex abuse material.
Officers with Utah’s ICAC Task Force were able to track down one website and discover illegal material. The Internet Watch Foundation also assisted in identifying Merritt’s digital wallet.
According to charging documents, police then carried out a search warrant at Merritt’s home, where they found “hundreds of videos and images of children being exploited.”
“The Office of the Attorney General is committed to finding and prosecuting individuals who exploit children online, regardless of digital methods used to avoid detection,” a spokesperson with the Utah Attorney General’s Office said.
Merritt was charged and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and was ordered to be held without bail.
Any incidents regarding sexual exploitation of a minor can be reported via the Utah ICAC Tip Line at 801-281-1211
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