Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOHN TOWERS with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. TOWERS was arrested this morning and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “John Towers’s alleged disturbing conduct violated the public’s trust by placing hidden cameras in a public bathroom and using those cameras to capture sexually explicit images of children. As today’s arrest shows, we will use every tool available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those alleged to have sexually exploited children.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed on April 17, 2024, in White Plains federal court and unsealed today:[1]
From at least on or about July 24, 2018, up to and including at least on or about December 9, 2019, TOWERS placed hidden cameras in a bathroom in a privately owned, public park in Putnam County, New York, to surreptitiously record prepubescent minors in order to capture sexually explicit images of the minors. TOWERS then transferred the recordings to a hard drive.
Following the execution of a search warrant at TOWERS’s residence, law enforcement recovered a hard drive that was found to contain over 800 videos of females, including prepubescent females, using a bathroom. Approximately 78 of the videos had file names that included the term “yung.”
On or about March 29, 2024, TOWERS, while in Putnam County, New York, possessed DVDs containing video files he downloaded from the internet depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit activity.
On March 29, 2024, TOWERS was arrested and charged in Carmel Town Court in Putnam Valley with two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years old, three counts of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He was on bail at the time of today’s arrest.
Anyone who may have relevant information regarding JOHN TOWERS is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
JOHN TOWERS, 54, of Mahopac, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville reported that beginning in February of 2024, members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation began an investigation after receiving information that a Town of Carmel resident had images of child sexual abuse material.
Members of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation executed multiple search warrants, with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office electronics storage detection K9 Hannah, and on March 29, 2024, arrested 53-year-old John Towers of Mahopac. He was charged with two counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child and three counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, both felonies and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a misdemeanor.
He was arraigned in the Town of Carmel Court and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with relevant information or John Towers to contact the Sheriff’s Office tipline at 845-808-4377.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Putnam County Sheriff’s Investigator Matthew Tunney, “From at least on or about July 24, 2018, up to and including at least on or about December 9, 2019, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, JOHN TOWERS, the defendant, knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced, and attempted to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce, a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct and for the purpose of transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct, and the defendant knew and had reason to know that such visual depiction would be transported and transmitted using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce and in or affecting interstate and foreign commerce and mailed, and the visual depiction was produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce by any means including by computer, and such visual depiction was transported and transmitted using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce and in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce and mailed, to wit, TOWERS placed hidden cameras in a public bathroom in Putnam County, New Yark, to surreptitiously record prepubescent minors in order to capture sexually explicit images of the minors, and then transferred the recordings to a hard drive.
“In or about February 2024, PCSO received materials from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) indicating that NCMEC had received Cybertips, numbered 182304174, 182304612, and 182359651, from a cloud-based service provider (“Provider-1”) that provides cloud storage for a telecommunications company (“Company-1”). I reviewed the materials provided with the Cybe1iips. These materials indicated that, between on or about December 11, 2023 and December 12, 2023, phone number XXX-XXX-1134 (“1134- Number”) uploaded approximately 57 files depicting children engaging in sexually explicit activity to the cloud maintained by Provider-I associated with the 1134-Number.
“On or about March 19, 2024, I began reviewing the materials received from Provider- I in response to the search warrant. These materials included over 6000 images and videos that had been uploaded to the cloud associated with the 1134-Number. The materials I reviewed included a number of photos that depict female adults and female children using a bathroom with blue and white tile walls (“Bathroom Images”). One of these images, an image that was uploaded to the cloud associated with the 1134-Number on or about June 26, 2023, is a close-up of a prepubescent vagina. The materials also included an image (“Image-1”) of what appears to be a sink in the same bathroom with the blue and white tile walls. Image-1 contains embedded OPS data which indicates that the’ image was taken in a privately owned, public park in Putnam County, New York (“Park-1”).
“The materials received from Provider- I also included numerous other images of prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit activity. Based on information I have obtained from NCMEC concerning these images, I am aware that many of the children who appear in these images have been previously identified by NCMEC. Among these images are the following:
a. File name ending in 4e5b58.jpg: This is an image file depicting a prepubescent girl, who is naked from the waist down, lying on a bed. The child’s vagina is visible and the child is holding an adult male’s penis with her hand.
b. File name ending in cd4e06.jpg: This is an image file depicting a prepubescent girl, naked from the waist down, lying down with her eyes closed. She appears to be wearing a black jacket that is open to expose her bare chest and breasts. A male penis is inserted into the child’s vagina.
“Initially, TOWERS denied any knowledge of cameras hidden in bathrooms. Later in the interview, TOWERS said that he had used an old cellphone to record an adult female he identified by name (“Female-I”) using the bathroom at Park-1. TOWERS stated that he had been attracted to Female-I. TOWERS hid the cellphone in the bathroom in a garbage can lid. TOWERS said that, later, he stored the pictures and videos on an old computer.
“During my conversation with JOHN TOWERS, the defendant, on March 19, 2024, TOWERS consented to a search of his cellphone, a Samsung Galazy S23+ (“Phone-I”). On or about April 15, 2024, I conducted a search of Phone-I. Phone-I contained an application called “Secure Folder.” Based on my experience, I am aware that Secure Folder is an application that permits Samsung users to store photos, videos and other files in a private and encrypted location on the phone. Within the Secure Folder app on Phone-I, I discovered approximately 190 photos that all appear to be of either teenage females or preteen females who are either naked or wearing swimsuits. Within these photos, there are approximately seven photos that depict prepubescent females whose genital areas are exposed. Among these photos are the following
“I began reviewing the forensic image of the hard drive. There are approximately 816 videos in a folder titled ”New Folder (2)” with file titles that include the word “visitor” and a numerical date (“Visitor Videos”). The dates in these titles range from “071818” (July 18, 2018) to “101919” (October 19,2019). Based on my analysis, I am aware that the Visitor Videos were uploaded to the hard drive of Computer- I from on or about July 18, 2018 to on or about December 9, 2019. I have reviewed the Visitor Videos. Each of them depicts a female using a toilet in a bathroom with blue and white tile walls.
“Of the 816 Visitor Videos, approximately 78 videos also include the word “yung” in the file title (“Yung Videos”). For example, the Yung Videos include videos titled “visitor052419yungarse.avi” and “visitor082319yungpnice.” At least 11 of the Yung Videos depict prepubescent children using the toilet.
“on July 24, 2018. Video-1 is approximately 3 minutes and 6 seconds. When Video- I begins, an adult female is standing and she pulls up her pants and exits the video frame. A few seconds later, a child (“Victim-I”) appears. Victim-I is wearing a white tank top that says “SUMMER” in a various colors. Victim- I pulls down her pants and underwear, exposing her vagina to the camera. After sitting on the toilet for a few moments, she stands up, exposing her vagina to the camera again. She wipes herself and then pulls her pants up. The same adult female reappears and assists Victim-I with her pants.
18. On or about April 9, 2024, I spoke to the mother of Victim-I and showed her a screenshot from Video- I in which Victim-I’s face and shili were visible. Victim-I’s mother identified Victim-I as the child in the video and said that, on July 24, 2018, she visited Park-I with Victim-I and her mother. Victim-I was seven years old at the time of the visit. Victim-1 ‘s mother showed me a photo on her cellphone that was taken on July 24, 2018 at Park-I. In the photo, Victim- I is wearing the same shi1i that she is wearing in Video- I. There is a woman in the photo that I recognize as the woman who appears in Video-I with Victim-I.
19. Based on my conversation with an employee who works at Park-I, I am aware that, from approximately 2004 to March 2024, JOHN TOWERS, the defendant, worked at Park- 1.
20. On or about March 29, 2024, I went to Park-I and went inside the two bathrooms that are used by visitors to Park-I. Both of the bathrooms have blue and white tile walls and look like the bathroom that appears in the Visitor Videos, the Bathroom Photos, and Image-
Based on my conversation with an employee who works at Park-I, I am aware that, from approximately 2004 to March 2024, JOHN TOWERS, the defendant, worked at Park- 1.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with relevant information or John Towers to contact the Sheriff’s Office tipline at 845-808-4377.
Anyone who may have relevant information regarding JOHN TOWERS is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
We are looking for a recent photo of John Towers, to make it easier for concerned parents and children to identify him. Please contact us at info@yonkerstimes.com.
