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Metairie man paid for child pornography with cryptocurrency | Crime/Police
A federal complaint filed last week against a Metairie man accuses him of paying for child pornography online using cryptocurrency.
Carson Riess was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography in the complaint filed May 21.
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations have been investigating Riess since January 2023. That’s when investigators say Riess used a Cox Communications IP address to download 21 files from software used to share child pornography.
Cox responded to law enforcement, linking the IP address to Riess at his home in the 700 block of Pasadena Avenue in Metairie. In December 2023, Riess was also tracked to his bitcoin address, which investigators say sent cryptocurrency to an online user known to offer child pornography in exchange for a membership fee.
Homeland Security investigators linked Riess to the Bitcoin Depot ATM at a gas station on Airline Drive. In their complaint they also pointed out that PayPal had previously reported Riess for transferring cryptocurrency to a seller of child pornography.
On May 16, authorities served two federal search warrants, and on May 20 at 7:30 a.m. they were executed at Riess’ home.
Riess gave an interview to agents admitting that one of his computers contained software often used by criminals, according to agents. Riess also admitted to downloading files containing child pornography, but said he typically deleted that content because “it wasn’t what he was looking for,” according to court documents.
Riess eventually admitted he also sent cryptocurrency, but said he was only looking for “young” pornography. During the search, investigators found a desktop computer that contained child pornography of a prepubescent girl being forced to perform a sexual act with a man.
Riess awaits a June 5 detention hearing in federal court.