Source: United States Department of Justice News
Miami, Florida – A federal grand jury in West Palm Beach has charged five men with one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography and multiple counts of distribution and solicitation of child pornography.
Anthony Wayne Santiago, 28, of Novi, MI; Jacob Dominic VanDyke, 25, of Muskegon, MI; Johnathan Scott Fleak, 32, of Pryor, OK; Aaron Ray Iuliano, 27, of Ravenna, OH; and Michael Paul Gianfrancesco, 39, of Livingston, TN, were members of a chat room predicated on the distribution of pornography of children under the age of 13 years.
According to the indictment, from September to October 2021, the five defendants entered and participated in a private online chat. These defendants all distributed and or solicited child pornography amongst more than 50 other individuals.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Ric Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), made the announcement.
HSI Miami and PBSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment contains mere allegations and defendants are innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-80127.
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