HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESS ADVISORY

For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Contact: Sergeant Paul Vance, State Police Public Information Office, (860) 695-8230
Contact:  Nancy M. Mulroy, Hartford Police Public Information Office, (860) 543-8746.

Joint State Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and HPD Investigation Results in Internet Child Pornography Arrests.

            (Hartford) – A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was received by the Connecticut State Police Computer Crimes Unit regarding the discovery of a digital video tape taken from a computer in Japan which depicted a man engaging in sex with two minors.  Examination of this video by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicated that the video may have been filmed in the City of Hartford.

                The Hartford Police Youth and Family Services Division joined the State Police and the United States Postal inspection Service in identifying the parties on the video.  A six month investigation resulted in the identification of all the parties on the tape along with the subsequent arrest of one Ismael Cohen, aka Jose Luis Sigourney, aka Ismael Cohen-Bendezu of 451 Hillside Avenue, Hartford, on October 10, 2003, via State Police arrest warrant charging him with two counts of employing a minor in an obscene performance.

                Continuing investigation has led to the identification of other victims.  This has resulted in the securing of an additional arrest warrant on October 20, 2003, for Ismael Cohen charging him with three counts of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree and three counts of Risk of Injury/Impairing the Morals of a Minor.

                The investigation has also led to the arrest of one “Jane Doe” of Hartford on October 20, 2003, charging her with two counts of risk of injury, two counts of conspiracy to employ a minor in an obscene performance, two counts of conspiracy to sexual assault first and two counts of promoting prostitution via State Police Warrant.

The investigation has revealed that there are other victims who have not been identified.  This investigation is continuing.  Anyone with any additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact Lieutenant Jose L. Lopez, Commander of the Youth and Family Services Division at 527-7300 extension 5255.