Thread: Feds: NY man active in immigration reform arrested on child porn charge

Feds: NY man active in immigration reform arrested on child porn charge

By Chris Boyette, CNN
updated 10:08 AM EDT, Thu September 19, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Roy Naim was mentioned in a Time magazine article on immigration reform
• He worked with immigration advocacy groups in New York
• Prosecutors say he was arrested based on an electronic trail from an alleged child-porn producer
• Naim pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of receiving child pornography

New York (CNN) -- An activist for immigration reform was arrested and arraigned on child pornography charges in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday.
Roy Naim, 29, pleaded not guilty to a count of receiving child pornography, and was denied bail by Judge Joan M. Azrack.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Saritha Komatireddy argued Naim was a risk to the community as his alleged crimes involved children, and he sometimes worked with a youth advocacy group and volunteered at a camp for children. She added he was a flight risk as he has no real job and isn't a citizen of the country.

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Naim's attorney, Richard A Finkel, countered that his client was a respected member of his community, and told the court how Naim, who was mentioned in a 2012 Time magazine article on immigration reform, volunteered for many charities and had become a relatively well-known activist on immigration.

Finkel continued to explain that Naim did not work because he spent most of his time "helping others" and studying with rabbis.

His family works hard, Finkel said, but they have little money and own no property.

Judge Azrack did not say she would deny Naim bail outright, but said without money or property to offer as collateral, Naim would be kept in custody for now.

Finkel told reporters as he left the courthouse that he had just been put on the case and "I don't know much about it ... They're just charges and we will contest the charges, and that's all I can say."

Prosecutor Komatireddy declined comment on the case.

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Naim moved with his family from Israel when he was 3 years old, but has not attained U.S. citizenship.

Naim was mentioned in a cover story for Time magazine in June 2012 by journalist and filmmaker, Jose Antonio Vargas, who publicly revealed his own status as an undocumented immigrant and gaining support among so-called DREAMers -- advocates for a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants.

In a story on his life that he wrote for the website Empathizethis.com, Naim said, "I read this article about Jose Antonio Vargas, who outed himself as an undocumented person. I remember reading that article, and it gave me a lot of hope. I started connecting with Jose, and I ended up (in) Time magazine with him."

Naim continued in the online biography, "If you ask me what I want to do, I would say that I want to serve people. Volunteer work is what I live for."

In June, the New York Daily News ran an article about Naim's work with a children's advocacy group on a game for children based on the immigrant experience.

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According to the federal indictment of Naim, investigators in Louisiana arrested a suspected producer of child pornography who allegedly had enticed children to engage in sexually explicit conduct on the internet via videoconferencing. The suspect allegedly recorded the acts, and sent the videos to people over the web and through e-mail.

Following an electronic trail, investigators were led to a computer at Naim's home according to the indictment.

Federal agents executed a search warrant, the indictment says, and told Naim he was not under arrest, but asked him if there was any information he wanted to share voluntarily.

According to the indictment, Naim led the agents to his computer and told them he had been viewing and downloading videos of child pornography for several years, and his a laptop contained videos of child pornography. He was then arrested.

If convicted, Naim faces five to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

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http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/us/child-porn-charges-immigration-activist/?hpt=ju_c2

Roy Naim, the 'Jewish Face of the Immigration Reform Struggle' featured in Time magazine, arrested on child porn charges and denied bail

• The outspoken undocumented immigrant pleaded not guilty to one count of receiving child pornography
• He has admitted to years of downloading perverted videos involving children, officials said
• The accused pedophile volunteered for five years at a summer camp for disabled and sick children

By RYAN GORMAN
UPDATED: 17:55 EST, 21 September 2013



An immigration advocate profiled in a Time cover story has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Self-fashioned immigration activist Roy Naim, 29, downloaded three child pornography videos and is currently in federal custody after being denied bail Wednesday, officials said. The accused pervert has volunteered at a camp for special needs children in the past, a position he appears to have left in 2010

One of the subjects of a 2012 Time story on 35 undocumented illegal immigrants, Mr Naim pleaded not guilty to a single count of receiving child pornography. The Israeli national was deemed a flight risk and denied bail.



Living a nightmare: Roy Naim, once seen as a leading voice of immigration activism, has admitted to downloading child porn, officials said

US Attorney Saritha Komatireddy argued Mr Naim should be denied bail because of the risk he posed to the community as an accused pedophile who has worked in the past with children, has no job and isn’t a citizen, according to CNN.

Attorney Richard Finkel unsuccessfully countered that Mr Naim spends most of his time volunteering and helping others, CNN reported. Additionally, Mr Finkel noted that the Naim family, with very little money and no property, doesn’t have the means to help Roy Naim flee.

Without assets for collateral, the judge explained, she had no choice but to deny bail, said CNN.



Time on his hands: Mr Naim will have a lot more time for exercise if found guilty at trial

Mr Naim is currently sitting in jail after an alleged child pornography distributor was arrested recently in Louisiana, officials said. One of the receivers of that child pornography turned out to be the ‘Jewish Face of the Immigration Reform Struggle,’ according to an indictment cited by multiple media outlets.

The accused pedophile received that nickname from the Jewish Daily Forward.

Officials said Mr Naim voluntarily copped to years of downloading and viewing child pornography.

Investigators uncovered videos of children performing sexual acts on his laptop and immediately arrested him, according to the indictment.

An eerie tweet only two days before his arraignment read 'Giving it up,' but it is not clear if that resignation was because he knew investigators were closing in on him.



A leading voice: Mr Naim (right) was called the 'Jewish Face of the Immigration Reform Struggle' in one of many profiles written about him

Mr Naim made a name for himself by staging public rallies and lobbying Congress to enact immigration reform. His activism was born out of frustration from trying to become an American citizen since his family immigrated to the US when he was three-years-old.

‘He wants to be an American citizen,’ Richard Finkel, Mr Naim’s attorney, told the New York Daily News.

Mr Naim lists multiple volunteer positions at Camp Simcha between 2003 and 2008 on his Facebook page, but is referred to as a division head in a post on the camp’s Facebook page.

Ain't no sunshine where he's gone: Mr Naim is currently sitting in jail after being denied bail

Camp Simcha is famous for being attended by a young, disabled Israeli girl whom a plane turned around to retrieve after leaving her at the gate for lack of identification.

Attempts to reach camp administration for comment were unsuccessful.
If convicted, Mr Naim faces five to 20 years in prison. It is not clear if he would also face a possible deportation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...nied-bail.html

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