"Operation Orange Tree" Sees Child Porn Suspects Busted

"Police! Search Warrant!"

It started with a series of loud knocks on the door, followed by shouts.

Federal, state and local cops in Florida were not searching for drugs, guns or cash. Instead, they were looking for computers: hard drives loaded with child pornography.

During the first state-wide sweep dubbed "Operation Orange Tree," cops seized dozens of computers, and busted 77 men accused of downloading pornography featuring children.

The secret weapon to finding these guys was a new, high-tech software program recently made available to law enforcement.

"This is one of the greatest improvements in law enforcement technology in my 20 years in law enforcement," said Special Agent Mike Phillips of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

The new tool has taken the guesswork out of finding cyber criminals.

Although law enforcement agencies have declined to give the specifics of the software's methodology, they say it can help them zero-in on wireless routers and illegal files.

According to Agent Phillips, the FDLE has come a long way.

"It used to be people who collected child porn had a shoebox of images stuffed away in a closet. Now, that shoebox is on the Internet, ready to be shared with all the other child predators," he said. "We can now isolate that shoebox and trace it to an individual's house."

And, that's exactly what cops did, with a degree of success, during the eight-week operation. FDLE, with the support of the Florida Attorney General's Office, with their initial use of the new technology, set out to see how well it worked, and to get predators off the streets.

They called it "Operation Orange Tree," because oranges are one of Florida's natural resources, and so are children.

"We want our children to remain innocent," said Agent Phillips.

Producers from America's Most Wanted joined the manhunt in South Florida.

FDLE, with the United States Marshals' Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force -- consisting of investigators from the Florida Attorney General's Office, Broward County Sheriff's Office and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office -- knocked on doors and seized dozens of laptops, desktops and unsuspecting men who they said had filled their computers with child porn.

The FDLE's Evidence Collection and Technical Operations van is a sleek white vehicle which appears to be quite average -- on the outside, at least.

But it's far from average. Inside, it is loaded with computers, technology and experienced forensic technicians. They can take apart a hard drive and analyze it in a matter of minutes.

Agent Phillips said, "The guys on my squad nicknamed it 'ECTO One.' If you remember the Ghostbusters movie, that's what they caught ghosts with."

His team described the criminals they go after as 'ghosts.'

"Child predators are typically ghosts," he said. "They hide and molest children where people don't see them, but we're able to find the ghosts."

And, they did.

Operation Orange Tree has helped to rescue 5 children, and arrest 4 sex offenders.

With the use of the ECTO van, cops can take down ghosts quickly and quietly.

The cyber-crime cops from all over South Florida take what they do very seriously.

Some of the videos agents must analyze are gut-wrenching sick.

"While it's awful to look at, I'm proud of taking these disgusting human beings off the streets," said one cop, after arresting a young man, who he said had downloaded some of the worst stuff he's ever seen.

Law enforcement throughout Florida were proud of their first statewide attack on child porn using the new technology.

They promise to keep chipping away at these predators and continuing to make a difference.

At Large Fugitives:
Roshard Whitehead
Ricardo Lecky
Pierre Domville