Michelle Lee Freeman, 40 & husband, Michael Serapis Freeman, 39, surrendered to Salem police, charged with the sexual exploitation of children for the production of child pornography. If convicted, the couple could each face 15 to 30 years in prison

(Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Michelle Lee Freeman, 40, and her husband, Michael Serapis Freeman, 39, surrendered to Salem police after the couple learned that an acquaintance had identified photos that had been provided to the media by ICE and shared by the public on social media sites.

By JASON RYAN (@JasonRyanABC)
Sept. 5, 2012

A nationwide manhunt for a suspect in a child pornography investigation has resulted in two people arrested in Oregon and two girls rescued from an allegedly sexually abusive home.

Last month, agents from U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) sought public help to identify a "Jane Doe" suspect who had been identified in videos depicting two young girls under the age of 10 who the agents said were sexually victimized.

Michael Serapis Freeman and Michelle Lee Freeman turned themselves in to local police after the campaign resulted in tips identifying Michelle Freeman as the Jane Doe suspect.

An acquaintance of the married couple told Michael Freeman that he or she would turn in him and his wife to law enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said.

On Tuesday, Michael Freeman contacted the local police in Salem, Ore., to tell officers that his wife was sought by federal law enforcement officials.

Last month, ICE agents obtained a criminal complaint and federal warrant from a U.S. District Court Judge in Washington, D.C., to arrest the woman who was unknown to investigators besides her picture.

ICE agents from Los Angeles had been working on the investigation since June 2011, when they executed a search warrant and seized a computer with images said to depict two girls being abused.

A break in the investigation came in June 2012, when the FBI in Colorado seized a computer that had more than 200 images and two videos of the child victims with the images of the female Jane Doe suspect.

After the initial awareness campaign, ICE agents received tips that the Jane Doe lived or worked in the Pacific Northwest. With this information, ICE conducted a more targeted awareness campaign in Oregon and Washington state.

"When leads turned cold in this case, HSI special agents asked for the public's help," said ICE director John Morton in a statement. "Thanks to that help, two child victims have been rescued and their accused abusers are in custody. Children have the right to be safe from predators. There is no higher work and we will continue to investigate these crimes with our law enforcement partners."

Both Michael and Michelle Freeman have been charged with the sexual exploitation of children for the production of child pornography

According to ICE officials, an Oregon state search warrant was obtained Tuesday to search the Freemans' home, where law enforcement seized the couple's computers from their residence in Salem, Ore., according to a criminal complaint.

Michael Freeman allegedly told ICE agents that he was in "a bad place," the complaint said.

"I started it. Somehow she [Michelle Lee Freeman] got involved," Freeman allegedly told ICE agents.

Calls to the federal defender's office in Portland to request comment on behalf of the couple about the charges were not immediately returned.

If convicted of the charges, the couple could face 15 to 30 years in prison.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Michael And Michelle Freeman Are Charged With Using Their Children To Produce Child Pornography
September 27, 2012
PORTLAND, Ore. - Michelle Lee Freeman, 40, and her husband, Michael Serapis Freeman, 39, both of Salem, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate John V. Acosta, for their arraignment on four counts of Production of Child Pornography. The maximum penalty on each count is not less than 15 years, nor more than 30 years in prison. Michael Freeman was also charged with the Distribution of Child Pornography. Both defendants entered not guilty pleas, and their trial is scheduled for November 27, 2012, with U.S. District Court Judge Garr M. King. Both defendants have been detained as dangers to the community and as a flight risk. The maximum penalty, on this count, is not less than 5 years, nor more than 20 years imprisonment.

According to the criminal complaint that was filed in this case, Michael Freeman produced images of child pornography involving his two minor daughters and subsequently distributed a number of these images over the Internet. Some of the images depicted Michael Freeman sexually abusing one of his daughters. Michelle Freeman is also alleged to have produced images of child pornography and allowed her husband to use their children to produce child pornography.

"The crimes alleged in this indictment chronicle a tragic breach of trust," stated U.S. Attorney S. Amanda Marshall. "While all of us are saddened when we learn of such atrocities, we must remain ever vigilant in our determination to end child abuse and exploitation and punish those responsible for such crimes."

The couple was arrested as a direct result of a national appeal for public assistance by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to locate an, at that time, unknown suspect who was producing child pornography. In August 2012, HSI's Child Exploitation Investigations Unit's Victim Identification Program obtained a "Jane Doe" arrest warrant in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the suspect, who was later identified as Michelle Freeman. Two weeks later, tips from the Pacific Northwest led HSI to call on local and regional news media to publicize the search. That news coverage, and additional sharing on Facebook and other social media outlets, eventually produced tips from the public to HSI which directly lead to the Freemans - federal arrest on September 4, 2012, in Salem, Oregon.

"For the past two years, all we knew was that there were these voiceless victims, two little girls, somewhere in the U.S. being sexually abused," said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle who oversees HSI Portland. "Now with this federal indictment, the victims have a voice as the full force of the U.S. government confronts their accused abusers in court."

"While it is disturbing for me and the entire community to learn something like this could occur, I am pleased with the federal indictment," said Salem Police Chief Jerry Moore. "I believe the federal indictment sends a strong message that the sexual exploitation of children in Salem will not be tolerated."

HSI and the Salem Police Department are handling the on-going investigation of this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott M. Kerin and Stacie F. Beckerman, members of the U.S. Attorney's Office Gang and Child Sex Trafficking Unit.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and the defendants should be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys - Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] For more information about internet safety education, please visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and click on the tab "resources."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]