US National Guard member jailed for child pornography

US National Guard member jailed for child pornography

A member of the U.S. National Guard has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for smuggling child pornography into Manitoba.

Jason Brooks, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to charges under the Customs Act. He was arrested last February while bringing a load of corn across the border near Winkler. Officials grew suspicious about his behaviour after asking a series of questions and eventually searched his computer and found six videos and four pictures depicting children as young as five engaged in sexual activity.

Brooks made a series of excuses to police, at one point claiming he’d bought the computer from a convicted pedophile who must have downloaded the material before the sale. He later claimed up to 50 different people had access to his laptop and must have set him up.

"He hopes people who know him will know he’s not a sexual predator," defence lawyer Randy Minuk told court Monday.

Brooks lives in North Dakota and has been working as a long-haul trucker at the time of his arrest. He was also a member of the National Guard but is being kicked out because of his crime, court was told.

Brooks has spent the past four months in custody, which was given single-time credit under new federal legislation. He must now serve an additional six months behind bars and will be deported immediately upon his release. Minuk said he will likely never be allowed back into Canada, which will impact his future employment.

Minuk said his client was a "well-liked" member of society with many supporters, including his mother who was in court Monday to watch the sentencing hearing. Brooks was seeking to be released from custody almost immediately, but provincial court Judge Sid Lerner said more jail was necessary to express strong condemnation for this type of crime, which is growing in Canada.

Lerner also questioned how remorseful Brooks is given the various explanations he’s provided to police.

US child porn smuggler gets 10 months

A North Dakota long-haul trucker who smuggled child pornography into Manitoba has been handed a 10-month jail sentence.
Jason Cory Brooks, 24, has been in custody since his arrest by border guards at the Canadian point of entry near Winkler on Feb. 23.
Brooks, who had crossed the border to deliver a load of corn to the town of Haskett, became nervous and gave inconsistent answers when guards asked him questions about his criminal record.
A subsequent search of his laptop revealed it had six videos and four images of child pornography on it.
Some of the illegal material depicted children as young as five engaged in sexual activity, court heard on Monday.
Instead of being charged under the Criminal Code, Brooks was charged — and pleaded guilty to — charges under the Customs Act.
He faced a maximum prison term of five years and a $500,000 fine.
His own lawyer, Randy Minuk, argued that Brooks should spend no more than 90 days in jail, creating a conflict with the Crown's request for a sentence between 9-12 months.
Judge Sidney Lerner also ordered Brooks to serve three years of supervised probation after his release from jail.
However, he faces immediate deportation back to the U.S. after his sentence expires and likely will never be allowed to return to Canada.
He was given no extra credit for the time he's spent in custody awaiting sentencing. His arrest came one day after legislation to abolish double-time credit for prisoners was made law.

National Guardsman no longer

Brooks, a member of the U.S. National Guard, has been kicked out of the group because of his conviction, court heard.
Brooks initially told investigators that he had purchased the laptop from a convicted sex offender one week prior to his arrest, and blamed the discovery of the child pornography on that man.
He later changed his story and said he had owned the computer for several months. Later still, he claimed that a number of people had access to the computer and may have been responsible for downloading the child pornography.
Court heard that the offending material was placed in folders named "normal" and "young."
Brooks also said that his own father had emailed one of the illegal images to him.
A number of letters of support were filed with the court, and Lerner said it was proof he was a "contributing and well-liked" member of his community.
However, Lerner suggested, Brooks's changing story about how the child pornography got on the laptop showed he had limited remorse for his actions.

I disagree with the 10 month jail sentence. I believe that is far too harsh. He did not have extensive pornography on his computer and a criminal record will impact his employment prospects, especially as a trucker. I would like to know more about this man's background such as his family life and what made him a well liked member of his community. Prison is a negative environment with negative influences, gangs, drugs, little access to rehab programs and pro-criminal attitudes and behaviours. I believe that only those who are truly dangerous to society should be imprisoned. This man does not fit that category, in my opinion. Prison will not deter future criminals, prevent or reduce crime. 

I would have sentenced him to a conditional discharge, where he would be subject to probation conditions but would not receive a criminal record. This would ensure that he would be able to keep his employment and would not place further deprivations and hardships upon this man.  

Man facing 50 years if convicted in America

Suspected pervert deported to US

An American man who sought asylum in Canada to avoid prosecution on child-sex charges in his homeland has been deported.

Troy Robert Greenbank was transferred to the custody of U.S. authorities after his bid to remain in Canada failed, a Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson said Thursday.

Greenbank, a 31-year-old Missouri native, entered Canada at the Emerson crossing on Sept. 30, 2008, and had been staying in a Winnipeg hotel for about a week when he was arrested by police.

He entered the country before he was indicted in Missouri on two sex offences involving a minor.

He challenged deportation proceedings and attempted to obtain refugee status.

Greenbank had been in CBSA custody since his arrest, the spokesperson said.

He’s accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 10-year-old girl and the girl’s mom, whom he met in an Internet chat room.

American facing 50 years if convicted

He came to Canada 17 months ago looking to escape prosecution on serious child sex charges.

But the long arm of the law has not only led to his deportation, Troy Greenbank is facing up to 50 years behind bars if convicted in his home state of Missouri on allegations he arranged to have sex with a 10-year-old girl following an Internet arrangement with the victim's mother.

"I would like to commend the CBSA (Canadian Boarder Services Agency) officers involved in the removal of this individual from our country," federal public safety minister Vic Toews said in a statement. "This government will not tolerate the harbouring of fugitives from justice. We are committed to ensuring that the safety and security of Canadians are not compromised."

The Free Press first broke news of Greenbank's November 2008 arrest and his subsequent fight to remain in Canada. Winnipeg police found Greenbank inside the Woodbine Hotel on Main Street, where he'd been living since he crossed into Canada through the Emerson border about a month earlier. He was allowed entry into the country because he has no prior criminal record and charges of child pornography and procuring sex with a minor had not yet been laid by U.S. officials.

The Free Press obtained court documents that outline the disturbing allegations against Greenback.

Greenbank allegedly met a woman in an Internet chat room in 2007 and arranged for them to meet at a motel in Springfield, Mo., to have sex. Greenbank is then accused of requesting to have a threesome with the woman and her 10-year-old daughter.

Police raided Greenbank's home and seized several items including DVDs "depicting sadistic sexual behaviour," books and materials on serial killers and covert surveillance and spy equipment, according to documents. Police have taken several statements from witnesses, including Greenbank's ex-wife and another woman he previously met online.

Woman in Phillipines helps investigation into Manitoba sex offender

Manitoba sex offender undone by alarm overseas

A concerned woman in the Philippines was the key to bringing a Manitoba sex offender to justice.

Bruce Nelson pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of child pornography and indecent exposure in an unusual case that began overseas. He was given eight months of time served in custody and three years of supervised probation under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

Nelson, 48, admits he was sending explicit images of nude young children to strangers over the Internet from his home computer in Pinawa. He always claimed to be the father of the girls in the pictures, court was told.

In fact, Nelson had actually downloaded all of the pictures from the Internet and didn't know any of the children. One of the unwitting recipients was a Filipino woman who began asking Nelson questions about his background with hopes of building a case against him, including where he lived. She then went to child welfare authorities in her home country, who quickly forwarded the complaint to Canadian authorities.

Police traced the images to Nelson's computer and executed a search warrant in 2008. They found evidence of hundreds of similar online chats along with more than 1,000 graphic images and 88 movies involving child pornography. Nelson had no prior criminal record and was released on a promise to appear in court. But he was rearrested months later after exposing himself to two children, aged five and nine, that he approached on a gravel road in Pinawa. Nelson told the kids there was a baby deer down the road and invited them to come for a closer look. He then exposed himself. The children fled the area and immediately told a parent.

Nelson was quickly identified by his description and the car he was driving.

He was eventually released yet again on bail, then failed to report to police in January as required. He was arrested a third time and has been in custody since. A psychiatrist has deemed Nelson a low risk to reoffend but can't explain what motivated him to "go off the rails," court was told. Nelson is the father of two children, has been in a long-term relationship and worked full time at the same job for nearly 30 years.

Provincial court Judge Brian Corrin said he is concerned by an escalation in Nelson's criminal behaviour that saw him go from viewing images of child pornography to "getting gratification in a public place with small children."

I completely agree with the sentence of probation. This man is a low risk to re-offend and has no prior record. He has children, is in a long term relationship and has a full time job. He needs to support his family. Prison would only tear this family apart and likely have damaging effects on this man because he would be a low risk offender housed with high risk offenders. This has been proven to increase recidivism rates when offenders are released. This man should receive counseling, and learn management skills for his sexual impulses.


Under probation, I would recommend management of deviant impulses, relapse prevention programs and sex offender programs in the community. They cannot be cured, but they can be rehabilitated.

Child Pornography: Accused planned to live with boys in Spain, said police

Child Pornography: Accused planned to live with boys in Spain: police

He describes himself as a hermit who hasn't left his Winnipeg home in four years and spends most of his waking hours on the computer.

Now Winnipeg police believe the 59-year-old child pornography suspect planned to move to Spain and live with young boys to serve as their "Master," according to court documents obtained by the Free Press.

The allegations are contained in affidavits used to obtain search warrants executed in October and again last week at the accused's Charleswood-area home as part of an ongoing investigation.

Police originally began investigating the man in September 2009 following a tip from investigators in Boynton Beach, Fla. He allegedly got caught in an online chat and "file sharing session" with an undercover officer who was sent 34 images child porn pictures and one video, according to the court documents. Investigators raided his house in October 2009 and seized several computers and storage devices. The man was charged with child pornography offences but released on a promise to appear in court at a later date. His conditions included having no Internet access.

"He commented that he had not left his house in the past four years... that he did not have visitors, indicating he even has his groceries delivered to the house" police wrote in their affidavit.

A second, more extensive investigation began in December when police officers learned the man had obtained a new computer and started posting questions on a popular genealogy website. He claimed to be in ailing health and searching for information about his family history. Police began tracking the man's online activity and learned that he had allegedly created a new dial-up Internet account on Nov. 30, 2009. He had also created an "encrypted" email account and sent a note to network administrators asking them not to put his real name on any invoices.

Police allege the accused spent 33 hours online in a three-day period in early December. Officers set up a fake account on the genealogy website and engaged him in conversation. They were also able to remotely gain access to his computer, which allowed a peek inside his online dealings. Police discovered a computer folder labelled "Friends" that contained several pictures of naked boys between the ages of 10 and 14. They also learned the accused has created an account on a dating website specializing in "bondage, domination, sadism and masochism." He was also exchanging emails with a website that features child porn stories.

The most disturbing find was a series of emails between the accused and a young man in Spain named "Peter."

"He writes about his intent to live with this male in Spain after dealing with his criminal charges. He talks about buying a cage for their home. He indicates he would not mind seeing Peter (have sex with) 'younger lads'," police wrote. "He asks in another email if Peter would want to keep a younger teen as well. He refers to himself as 'Master' and to Peter as his 'boi'."

Police executed the second warrant last Thursday, seizing the new computer and electronic storage devices. Police have charged with man with breaching his bail conditions and are now poring through the material to determine what additional charges might be laid. The accused, Kenneth Kreton, remains in custody.

First of all, great article by Mike McIntyre! Such a great writer and the transitions from one idea to the next are stellar. 

This man should definitely be in custody. The activities he was participating in, were horrible.