Police arrest SECOND suspect just 24 hours after asking for public's help in solving decade-old child pornography case
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Less than 24 hours after federal authorities made a national announcement appealing to the public for leads in three unsolved child pornography cases, a second suspect has been arrested and the child victim in the case identified.
Lance Robert Fries, 43, of Tucson, was taken into custody at his attorney's North Tucson office around 1:45 p.m. Friday by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, authorities said.
He is suspected of sexually exploiting a boy whom authorities are only characterizing as 'pre-pubescant' to protect his identity. The boy is now safe, authorities said. The child pornography images in Fries' case were first discovered by HSI special agents in Portland, Oregon in 2006.
Arrested: Lance Robert Fries, 43, was arrested after authorities released this photo of a suspect in an unsolved child porn case. They received a tip about his identity on Thursday night
Letha Mae Montemayor was arrested fewer than ten hours after police released these pictures of her
Fries' arrest came after ICE released photographs of three unidentified suspects in child pornography cases. A tip about his identity was called in to authorities around 11:15 p.m. Thursday.
Fries faces potential federal charges of production of child pornography and is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Monday.
Fries was the second suspect from the photos to be identified. The first, Letha Mae Montemayor, 52, was taken into custody Friday outside a San Fernando Valley apartment complex.
Montemayor was suspected of making and appearing in child porn photos a decade ago.
She is facing charges of producing child pornography and conspiracy, officials said.
Each charge carries a minimum 15-year prison sentence.
Identified: Fries is led away by investigators. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday
It was not immediately clear whether Montemayor had obtained a lawyer, and there was no public telephone listing for her.
In the incriminating photos, the woman believed to be Montemayor appears to be molesting a young girl.
Forensic experts believe the shots were taken about 11 years ago in San Fernando Valley. A phone book and calendar were seen in the shots, officials said.
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ShareThe images were first discovered by ICE agents in Chicago in 2007. A man was also seen in the photos.
The woman in the photos had several distinctive tattoos, including a butterfly on her hip and a curled-up cat on her right shoulder.
'This arrest would not have happened without the public's help, and it demonstrates how much individual citizens can do to help law enforcement attack crime,' ICE Director John Morton said in a statement.
Caught at last: Montemayor, 52, was arrested in LA yesterday for production, distribution and possession of child porn
The then-unknown adults in the photos were charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography and production of child pornography.
The criminal complaint listed them as 'John Doe' and 'Jane Doe'.
Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations, said: 'The images in this series have been identified in connection with more than 275 child pornography investigations across the country.
'The reality is, every time a photo or a video of an innocent child being sexually exploited is viewed, that victim is violated again.'
The arrest 'brings us one step closer to vindicating the victim and helping to regain some dignity for all victims of child exploitation crimes,' said U.S. Attorney André Birotte.
This is what federal authorities released to try and identify Fries
The search was announced on Thursday in connection with an international investigation of child pornography dubbed 'Operation Sunflower' that resulted in more than 200 arrests.
Morton said 123 child victims were identified during the five-week investigation, which ended in early December. ICE and other authorities found 110 victims in 19 states. Others were found across six countries.
The victims ages ranged from a couple months old up to 17 years old. Morton said 44 of the victims were living with people suspected of abusing them.
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