Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jacob Israel Walden was arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Central Islip on a six-count indictment charging him with sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography. Walden was arrested on a complaint on July 31, 2024. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown who ordered the defendant detained pending trial.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Spiros Karabinas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey (HSI), announced the indictment.
“As alleged, the defendant enticed minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet in exchange for payment,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “Protecting children from predators who sexually exploit them will always be a priority of my Office.”
“We are determined to dismantle the insidious network of online child sexual exploitation and abuse – no child’s innocence should be for sale,” stated HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Karabinas. “Every day HSI Newark and our partners work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation by predators who produce, distribute and possess child sexual abuse material. The public can help us in that fight by notifying HSI immediately if they suspect someone is exploiting or abusing a child by calling our HSI tip line, 1-877-4-HSI-TIP.”
As set forth in court filings, law enforcement first identified Walden, a healthcare executive and Long Island resident, as a repeat purchaser of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from a large-scale production and distribution ring that advertised, sold and distributed CSAM to adult male buyers. Subsequent investigation determined that Walden also used social media and encrypted messaging services to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors. During these conversations, Walden enticed the minors to produce child pornography of themselves for payment. In his chat conversations with these victims, Walden insisted that he be addressed as “daddy,” provided directions for what content the minors were to produce (e.g., “take off your top”) and paid the minors via electronic payment after he received the requested content. Walden was also a prolific purchaser of CSAM from online producers and distributors of child pornography. Law enforcement agents recovered numerous images and videos of child pornography from the defendant’s iPhone.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Walden faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Criminal Section of the Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Sandlar is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JACOB ISRAEL WALDEN
Age: 38
Valley Stream, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-CR-521 (GRB)