http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2011/01/top_pentagon_of.html said:
Top Pentagon official vows 'all-out pursuit' of child porn suspects
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON _ The Pentagon's top investigator is vowing an "all-out pursuit" of any employees who may have downloaded child pornography after his agency acknowledged that 1,700 potential suspects who were referred to military investigators four years ago were never screened.
Gordon S. Heddell, the Department of Defense's Inspector General, said in a statement to the Globe today that his office, which oversees the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, is working aggressively to correct the mishandling of the cases and pursue any remaining suspects.
"I can assure those with questions that my office is conducting an aggressive pursuit of anyone implicated in Operation Flicker and that it is a key investigative priority," Heddell said in his first public statement on the matter.
"The sexual exploitation of any child is a tragedy," he added. "We are reviewing each and every Operation Flicker referral DCIS has received so as to ensure action is taken regarding allegations involving individuals with connections to the Department of Defense."
The Pentagon agency has come under fierce criticism in recent months for its role in the child pornography investigation that was spearheaded by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has jurisdiction for such federal crimes under its customs mandate.
The Globe reported earlier this week the Pentagon checked only 3,500 out of 5,200 individuals who were suspected of downloading child pornography.
The partial screening, which was conducted in 2007, identified 302 individuals who were either military personnel, civilian employees, or private contractors. Some of those held high-level security clearances and worked at sensitive intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on enemy communications. Several also accessed the images on their work computers, a separate violation.
Out of the 302 cases, 70 were eventually pursued, while only a handful resulted in prosecutions. The agency said that many cases were dropped for lack of evidence, but also acknowledged that child pornography was not treated as one of the agency's investigative priorities at the time, when it was under different leadership.
"However," Heddell said today, "our re-investigative efforts are focused on determining the exact number" of Pentagon workers who may have been involved.
Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and senior member of the Judiciary Committee, has disparaged the agency's approach to the matter since the cases were first reported by the Globe last summer. In addition to the potential exploitation of minors, Grassley has also expressed concern that individuals with access to secret information could be blackmailed or otherwise compromised by American enemies if they are in possession of child pornography, a crime that could bring up to 20 years imprisonment.
"We want a change in behavior in the Defense Department where things of this criminal nature are a top priority, even more than government employees at other agencies because of the national security connections," Grassley told the Globe in an interview earlier this week.
It was in response to Grassley's inquiries that officials reported late last year that the Pentagon had never followed up on all the individuals referred to the agency in the first place.
A spokesman for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service could not predict how many of the remaining names might have military connections, nor when the review would be complete.
Heddell said his office is working with ICE, along with investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Army's Criminal Investigative Division, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Grassley said that the statute of limitations has probably expired for criminal charges to be brought against any violators but said he would press for administrative punishment for anyone who is implicated.
