Spanky the clown arrested in child pornography raid
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Your support makes all the difference.A clown by the name of Spanky, who worked for the renowned Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, has been arrested in an investigation into child pornography.
A clown by the name of Spanky, who worked for the renowned Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, has been arrested in an investigation into child pornography.
US Customs officers have charged the clown - real name Thomas Riccio - with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Mr Riccio, 23, appeared in court on Monday in Fayettesville, North Carolina, where he was travelling with the troupe.
Officials said Mr Riccio, from Florida, was arrested on Friday as part of an ongoing international investigation of subscribers to child pornography websites. At least one website was closed last July.
Agents for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said they discovered "thousands of images, many of which involve prepubescent children engaged in various sexual and lewd acts" on the clown's computer.
Agent Albert Fitchett said: "This man's profession as Spanky the clown brought him into contact with hundreds of families. But behind the clown nose this man appears to have been supporting an industry that trades in the exploitation of children."
The bureau said that its investigation, Operation Predator, had allegedly linked Mr Riccio to a company in Belarus that provided the billing services for more than 50 child pornography sites. Agents have arrested hundreds of people, after obtaining tens of thousands of names from the credit card billing company. Officials said teachers and others named as having access to children were given priority in the investigation .
An ICE spokesman, Dean Boyd, said: "Our first wave of arrests involved teachers, several priests, doctors, camp counsellers, who were downloading and, in some cases, distributing illegal child pornography over the internet. There are potentially thousands of leads in this case."
The famous circus, which has been operating for 134 years, has yet to comment on how long Mr Riccio had been with the troupe, or the extent to which he came into contact with children.
In a statement it said: "This is a criminal matter that is under investigation. While the company does not have any further information on this matter, it does not condone any type of criminal behaviour."
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