NCMEC Applauds U.S. Marshals and ICE for Capture of Nation’s Most Wanted Accused Child Pornographer

Former Law Enforcement Officer Was Cornered in Hong Kong






Report suspected incidents of child sexual exploitation to the CyberTipline or call NCMEC’s hotline: 1-800-843-5678




Former lawman Kenneth John Freeman, one of the world’s most notorious accused child molesters, was arrested yesterday in Hong Kong. Freeman, 44, was on the U.S. Marshals 15 MOST WANTED fugitives list and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ICE MOST WANTED FUGITIVES listing. The arrest was based on a formal request by the U.S. State Department. Freeman, a former Washington state resident, is accused of molesting his own young daughter, then posting the videos online.

Internet scenes allegedly showing the girl being raped by her father became one of the most widely downloaded child pornography videos in recent years. Freeman is an avid competitive bodybuilder and computer expert, and formerly worked as a reserve sheriff’s deputy in Benton County, Washington. But since 2005, a series of charges against him by federal and local courts has made him the subject of a worldwide manhunt.

Faced with those charges, Freeman fled the U.S. last year. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, which now coordinates national efforts to capture unregistered sex offenders and individuals charged with child abuse, it is believed that Freeman was living in the city of Suzhou, People’s Republic of China.

“This complex, international case was a challenge for the Marshals, ICE, and our law enforcement partners,” said Director John F. Clark. “But fugitives charged with crimes against children are our top priority. Freeman now will be returned to the United States to face the justice he deserves.”

“The arrest of this accused child molester proves the global reach of our law enforcement partnership,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Freeman will be returned for trial here, where penalties for child exploitation are among the toughest in the world.”

Law enforcement went public with their search as early last December, when Freeman was featured on television’s America’s Most Wanted. His daughter, now a teenager and an advocate against child sexual abuse, went on TV to tell her story. Clues began to fall into place. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) had long known of a series of child pornography videos showing the abuse of an unidentified girl. They were convinced the child and her abuser were from the Pacific Northwest, and when the Freeman case received national publicity, calls to NCMEC linked the girl on America’s Most Wanted to the unidentified child in the video series.

Sources at the U.S. Marshals said that Freeman’s presence in China was uncovered by an investigative team made up of experts from the Marshals, ICE, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and special agents from State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. It is believed that Freeman was working for a U.S. based firm while in China. No extradition treaty exists between the People’s Republic of China and the United States, but when the Chinese were informed about Freeman they agreed to help. An extradition treaty still exists between Hong Kong and the U.S.

In late April, information was developed by investigators that Freeman intended to travel to Hong Kong. Upon his arrival yesterday, he was arrested by law enforcement officials from the Chinese government. Freeman now faces extradition to the United States to face federal charges, as well as those in Washington State. This case is part of ICE’s Operation Predator, an initiative to safeguard children from pedophiles, international sex tourists, internet child pornographers, and human traffickers.