Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Google tip gets pediatric cardiologist Antonio Belda busted for child porn

How a tip from Google helped Baton Rouge authorities catch a local online predator

Dr. Antonio Felipe Belda: (see below for more regarding Antonio Belda)

After an Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center pediatric cardiologist was arrested last month on more than 100 counts of child pornography, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office credited a tip from Google for leading investigators to the suspect's front door. The arrest of Dr. Antonio Felipe Belda is the latest in a series of local child porn cases solved after tips made to a national center dedicated to protecting children. Law officers often find that many suspects utilized apps like WhatsApp and Kik — both widely-used messaging apps — to distribute illicit materials featuring children.

Peyton Lambertson, teacher:

In July, Zachary schoolteacher Peyton Lambertson was arrested on 100 counts of child pornography. East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's investigators say the 25-year-old distributed explicit images of juveniles to hundreds of people using Kik. Detectives said they traced the images to Lambertson through his IP address.

Brandon Short, teacher:

The next month, Brandon Short, 23, was arrested on 45 counts of pornography involving juveniles after he allegedly used Kik to distribute pornographic images of underage girls, the sheriff's office said. Short had worked for a year in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System as an itinerant teacher for Ryan Elementary until his arrest. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said at the time that authorities had no reason to believe any Baton Rouge residents were featured in the images.

Dr. Brandon Short: (see above for more regarding Antonio Belda)

Last month, sheriff's detective Sgt. Allison Garafola — who is assigned to the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit — received a complaint submitted by Google through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about another child porn case, according to arrest documents. After looking into the tip, Garafola's team found 48 images that they reasonably believed to be child pornography. After connecting the IP address to the Google account used to upload the images, investigators subpoenaed Google and Dr. Belda’s internet provider, and linked the images to the Belmont Avenue home address of the 37-year-old cardiologist. Google ...

Cynthia Perkins:

Cynthia Perkins was sentenced to 41 years in prison after pleading guilty this year to producing child pornography, second-degree rape and mingling harmful substances. The latter charge alleged she used Dennis Perkins' bodily fluids to taint pastries later served to students at a junior high school. Her husband is awaiting trial.

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