Galleria Mall: Charges Filed After Child Sexual Assault Footage in Galleria Restroom
A man is currently being held by federal authorities on charges of sexually assaulting toddlers at the Galleria mall, and sharing videos of the assaults online, according to records.
A heinous assault pattern is detailed in the court documents. They detail four videos that surfaced online depicting the sexual assault of two toddlers, by multiple offenders.
Both children were in Arthur Fernandez III's care at the mall, according to the records, since their mothers worked there and occasionally brought them when they couldn't find child care. They would be offered to be watched by Fernandez, who worked at a kiosk in the mall nearby.
According to ABC13's sources, Fernandez would allegedly take videos while bringing the child into a lavatory and assaulting them. Although only Fernandez is facing charges, the videos show at least seven individuals making obscene comments and physically abusing the child.
During their interview on Tuesday, Eyewitness News spoke with FBI agent Torrence White. White would not comment on the specific case, but he did warn parents that many predators are people they know.
"The perpetrators of these crimes are family members, teachers, and members of the community. Oftentimes folks are looking for the monster in the white van, but often it's the person you know," White said.
After an Australian organisation looking into cases of child sex crimes discovered the recordings they had taken, they notified the FBI. The FBI tracked down the mother and identified one of the kids. The jewellery and shoes that Fernandez wore in the videos helped her identify him.
The second child was found to have a connection to Fernandez's ex-boyfriend. The mother of that child also recognised Fernandez by his clothing. The others in the video have not been identified.
According to the FBI, solving these disturbing cases requires international cooperation.
"The more that we do, the more hurt that we stop, the more folks we can identify that's out there trying to harm children," said White.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) conducted a home search of Fernandez and retrieved various electronic devices and garments that matched those in the videos. Fernandez was arrested in December and is in federal custody.