Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are asking for the public’s help to identify additional victims in a child sexual exploitation investigation involving Kyle Dale Ritsema, an assistant principal at Cypress Creek Middle High School in Pasco County, Florida.

This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations HSI with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Ritsema, 36, of Land O’Lakes, was arrested Feb. 13 by HSI special agents and pleaded guilty Friday December 21, 2018 to producing, distributing and possessing child pornography.

The investigation has revealed that there may be multiple child victims, as well as a public health concern.

Any person who had unprotected sexual contact with Ritsema, or any person who was, or knows of someone who may have been, a possible child victim is urged to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or online tip form.

(Learn More. Courtesy of ABC Action News and YouTube. Posted on Feb 15, 2018.)

“If there are more children that were victimized by this predator, we ask for the public and parents to help us identify them and make sure they receive the support they need,” explained HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.

“These young people did not know there was an adult predator on the other side of the computer and this should serve as a grave warning to our communities to be vigilant about our children’s online activities.”

Starting as early as November 2014 until the time of his arrest in February 2018, Ritsema enticed a 14-year-old child on the internet application “Grindr” – in full knowledge that the boy was a minor.

On at least five occasions, Ritsema met the child in person and had sex with him, over the course of approximately one year.

On one such occasion, Ritsema had sex with the child and used his smartphone to take several explicit photos of the child.

That same day, Ritsema shared graphic details of that encounter and transmitted the explicit photos to multiple other individuals.

(Project Safe Childhood – It doesnt matter who you are, it doesnt matter what youve achieved. Download sexual images of children or entice a minor online and you have committed a serious federal crime. You will go to prison and it will ruin your life. Courtesy of Project Safe Childhood and YouTube.)

Beginning in March of 2017, and until his arrest in this case, Ritsema had been an Assistant Principal (Vice Principal) at Cypress Creek Middle High School in Pasco County.

Before holding that position, Ritsema was the Assistant Principal at Pine View Middle School (appointed in July 2015), an Assistant Principal Administrative Intern at River Ridge Middle School (appointed in January 2015), and a math teacher and math coach at Paul R. Smith Middle School, Gulf Highland Elementary School, and Seven Springs Middle School (beginning in 2006).

(Please share. Are you sure your kids know who they’re talking to online? If someone demands sexual images from you, stop immediately and report it. In this PSA, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) explore the dangers of sharing images online. Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and YouTube.)

This case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Middle District Florida Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

Ritsema faces a minimum mandatory of 15 years, and up to 30 years, for producing child pornography, a minimum mandatory term of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison for each of the two child pornography distribution charges, and a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for the possession charge.

In total, Ritsema faces up to 80 years in federal prison.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.

Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children.

In fiscal year 2017, more than 2,700 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 900 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form.

Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

(Make it hard for predators to hide; download the Operation Predator app today from iTunes or Google Play. Courtesy of ICE .gov)

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Honored in the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program

• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

• Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Unit (HRVWCU)

• ‘Excellence in Homeland Security’

The HRVWCC is comprised of ICE HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Unit, ICE’s Human Rights Law Section, FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and HRSP.

Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.

(Learn About ICE HSI Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Unit (HRVWCU) which conducts investigations focused on human rights violations in an effort to prevent the United States from becoming a safe haven to those individuals who engage in the commission of war crimes, genocide, torture and other forms of serious human rights abuses from conflicts around the globe. Courtesy of ICE .gov and YouTube.)

HRVWCC Mission

The unit has four important missions:

1. To prevent the admission of foreign war crimes suspects, persecutors and human rights abusers into the United States.
2. To identify and prosecute individuals who have been involved and/or responsible for the commission of human rights abuses across the globe.
3. To remove, whenever possible, those offenders who are located in the United States.
4. To oversee the development of programs in response to the former President’s Presidential Study Directive-10, the prevention of mass atrocities.

The HRVWCC leverages the expertise of a select group of agents, lawyers, intelligence and research specialists, historians and analysts who direct the agency’s broader enforcement efforts against these offenders.

The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is specifically designed to honor distinguished government and vendor solutions that deliver enhanced value, benefit and intelligence to end users in a variety of government, homeland security and public safety vertical markets.

Over 130 distinguished guests representing National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Firms, gathered from across North America, Europe and the Middle East to be honored among their peers in their respective fields which included:

• The Department of Homeland Security
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• Argonne National Laboratory
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The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program highlighting the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today, to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition, and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.

The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program was Proudly Sponsored by ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, Desktop Alert, and Royal Holdings Technologies.

2018 Champions Edition

See the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Champions Edition – ‘Best Products of 2018 ‘ Year in Review’ for in-depth coverage of the outstanding products and services of firms receiving American Security Today’s 2018‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards.’

Nominations for the AST 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program will officially open as of January 1st, 2019 at americansecuritytoday.com.

Enter Early to Maximize Media Coverage of your Products and Services at Kickoff, and Get the Recognition Your Organization Deserves!

And be sure to Register Early for the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East 2019 to ensure your place at this limited- space event!

Why the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program?

American Security Today’s comprehensive Annual Homeland Security Awards Program is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of physical, IT, port security, law enforcement, and first responders, in acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’

Why American Security Today?

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The old traditional security marketplace has been covered by a host of security publications that have changed little over many years.

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These sectors are part of the new integration, where these major applications communicate with one another in a variety of solutions to protect our cities and critical infrastructure.

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