Over 1M child abuse images reportedly found on Alpharetta man's devices

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - Authorities have reportedly uncovered more than a million images and videos of child sexual abuse while examining electronic devices seized from a suspect charged in a statewide child exploitation operation.

What we know:

Elvis Beltran Pineda, one of 17 individuals arrested last month as part of Operation Byte Down, now faces additional charges after forensic investigators analyzed external drives and a laptop taken from his home. The Forsyth County Digital Forensic Lab conducted the extensive review, leading to the discovery of the disturbing cache of evidence.

ORIGINAL STORY: Operation Byte Down results in 17 child exploitation arrests in Georgia

Pineda, a resident of Alpharetta, remains in jail without bond as the investigation continues.

17 individuals arrested

What they're saying:

Residents in multiple counties were arrested, including Gwinnett, Barrow, Evans, DeKalb, Bibb, Forsyth, Richmont, Chatham, Tift, Pooler, White, Camden, and Cherokee. 

The following individuals were arrested and charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children and related offenses:

• Kong Hon Yim, 63 (Duluth, Gwinnett County)
• Ezequiel Ortiz, 30 (Duluth, Gwinnett County)
• Jianglin Meng, 26 (Norcross, Gwinnett County)
• Morgan Albright, 18 (Winder, Barrow County)
• Steven Michael Yanizeski, 28 (Evans, Columbia County)
• Chaunansheng Fu, 28 (Doraville, DeKalb County)
• Steven Ray Mendenhall, 53 (Macon, Bibb County)
• Elvis Beltran Pineda, 25 (Alpharetta, Forsyth County)
• Richard Jason Lowery, 43 (Augusta, Richmond County)
• Patrick Dulebohn, 43 (Savannah, Chatham County)
• Dennis Farmer, 65 (Tifton, Tift County)
• Christian Havanki, 29 (Pooler, Chatham County)
• Thomas Walker, 37 (Helen, White County)
• Derrick Long, 25 (Kingsland, Camden County)
• Jonathan Sells, 39 (Cleveland, White County)
• Todd Shelton, 61 (Acworth, Cherokee County)
• Timothy Grimsley, 36 (Tifton, Tift County)

Operation Details & Investigation

Dig deeper:

Law enforcement agencies executed 30 residential search warrants across the state, leading to the seizure of 361 electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets, computers, and external storage devices. Additionally, forensic investigators previewed 137 electronic devices on-site to gather further evidence.

The operation targeted individuals involved in technology-facilitated crimes against children, including peer-to-peer file sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), undercover online interactions with child predators, and investigations based on CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Authorities say more arrests could follow as forensic processing of seized devices continues.

Participating Agencies

The Georgia ICAC Task Force, which is led by the GBI, worked alongside 33 law enforcement agencies in the operation, including local sheriff’s offices, police departments, the Georgia State Patrol, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Public Assistance & Reporting Tips

What you can do:

Officials urge the public to report any information related to child exploitation. Reports can be made to:

• GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit: 404-270-8870
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline: CyberTipline.org