A Japanese man is the latest to face a lengthy US prison term after investigators shut down a global child pornography ring, officials have said.
The 'Lost Boys' online bulletin board acted as a forum for men to trade child pornography involving young boys and was shut down about three years ago, the US Justice Department said on Monday.
Dozens of child victims were identified and located in Norway, Romania, Brazil and other nations during the course of the investigation, including 27 in the United States.
Futoshi Tachino, a Japanese citizen most recently residing in Winnipeg, Canada, was sentenced to 17 years in prison and lifetime supervision for conspiracy to advertise child pornography on Monday. Tachino, 32, was arrested in Chicago in July 2009 and pleaded guilty in March 2011.
Investigators determined the forum had 35 members in the US, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and New Zealand.
Some 16 members were identified and arrested in the United States and six more US men were charged with child molestation as a result of the investigation.