Los Angeles: US authorities said on Tuesday they had helped break up an international online child pornography ring using a bulletin board called 'Lost Boy' and charged some 20 people in five countries.
The Internet forum was used by some three dozen members trading thousands of 'images and videos of child pornography depicting young boys in sexually explicit situations', some of which the members made themselves.
Sixteen of the suspects are in the United States, while the others are in France, Germany, Belgium and New Zealand, according to US justice authorities including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which said they worked with other countries' forces including the Hague-based Eurojust body.
Five have already pleaded guilty in the United States to charges including producing child pornography, conspiracy to transport child pornography and participating in a child exploitation enterprise.
"The Lost Boy case represents a global subculture that exists for the purpose of trading of child pornography and other tools used to sexually exploit children," said assistant FBI director Steven Martinez.
The five who have admitted guilt in the United States were identified as David Michael Fagerness, 44; Andrew Neil Scott, 30; Anthony Jasso, 46; Justin Lee, 33, and Woodrow Tracy, 65.
Court documents described Jasso as belonging to a southern California club called 'Boy Lovers', whose members 'gathered to watch child erotica and to attend events involving children'.
The four named in indictments but still abroad are: Gregoire Byvoet, 34, of Belgium; Sven-Gregor Meyer, 46, of Germany; Raymond Ruelle, 50, of France, and Robin Lopez, 29, of New Zealand.
US Attorney for California's central district Andre Birotte Jr. said the Lost Boy bulletin board 'allowed members to access pornographic images of hundreds of boys who were victimised for sexual purposes.
"As a result of this investigation, authorities also discovered individuals who abused children, made their own child pornography and shared their disturbing product with others on the Internet," he added.
Members of the ring 'used sophisticated vetting procedures to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and enable its users to produce and share child pornography," according to a statement detailing evidence.
They also developed 'a handbook on how to groom potential victims," it added.
US Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said the group was uncovered 'through unprecedented cooperation with foreign law enforcement partners."
"We are committed to pursuing these perpetrators wherever they are through international investigations and prosecutions like the one we are highlighting today," he added.
The bulletin board was shut down about two years ago, but investigations have continued and resulted in the charges announced on Tuesday.
Eight defendants who have not admitted guilt will go on trial in April 2011, and could face a minimum jail term of 20 years if convicted of child exploitation.
US investigators vowed to continue to follow any leads stemming from the Lost Boy case.
"The FBI and our partners in Los Angeles and globally will continue to work together to identify these networks and to pursue charges against those who abuse children," it said.
More details of how the online ring was uncovered were expected to be revealed on Wednesday by Eurojust, the European judicial liaison body which worked with US authorities on the case.