San Francisco officials arrested and charged a 26-year-old suspect who works as a daycare employee after allegedly recording and sending a sexually illicit video of a young girl he was in charge of, federal authorities said.
Authorities charged Jace Wong of Pleasanton in federal court with possessing child pornography. They said an investigation of the case is still ongoing to determine if he had any additional victims.
Child Pornography
Police arrested Wong while he was at his place of employment where they believe he recorded the video of the crime.
The 14-second video footage showed a young girl who authorities believe is about four to six years old in the bathroom. One Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent reviewed the recording and said the victim appeared to notice Wong. The agent said a second video was recorded through a pane of glass.
An undercover officer went in and talked with Wong, where he learned the suspect planned to molest one of the girls he was caring for. He allegedly detailed his plans to his coworker. Text messages showed he was being cautious of his surroundings and “would love to do spy cams with my future kids one day.”
The undercover officer talked with Wong after the suspect was identified as a member of a group for pedophiles. They would then share child sexual abuse material on the chat application Kik.
Officials used the GPS signal from Wong’s phone to locate him at his workplace at the San Francisco daycare center. They later searched through his electronic devices, including his computer and cellphone, where they found an album filled with videos of incidents he recorded at the center.
Prosecutors have not released the name of Wong’s employer because it could reveal the name of the young victim. Authorities found 428 media files in the suspect’s possession, “many of which contained videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, said FBI special agent Benjamin Burnheimer, Mercury News reported.
Wong faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted of the crimes. He has been scheduled on Thursday for his first court appearance. Officials are keeping him in Santa Rita Jail on a no-bail arrest while waiting for the date.
