Holly
05-30-2007, 04:06 PM
A Hudson Falls man pleaded guilty Wednesday to having a sexual relationship online with a minor. Twenty-six-year-old Jason Bower admitted in federal court to receiving sexually explicit images from a 15-year-old boy in England.
The U.S. attorney's office say they caught this convicted sex offender in the nick of time, just as he was about to travel thousands of miles to meet the teenage victim.
Bower told authorities that he engaged in sexual acts on a webcam with a the British boy.
The relationship started a year before Bower was arrested in November 2006.
He was caught thanks to a vigilant mother and some spy software. U.S. Attorney Tom Spina says the victim's mother was concerned about what her son was doing online. She bought key-logging software to track her son's every move.
"This software captured everything the minor was doing online. She discovered that her son was having a sexual relationship online with Mr. Bower from Hudson Falls, New York," Spin explained.
The boy's mother called police in England. They in turn called Immigration and Customs in the United States.
Spina says it was perfect timing when they picked him up at the Albany International Airport.
"Immediately got a complaint and arrested him at the airport as he was about to get on a plane to visit the minor," Spina said.
Spina says Bower was planning to have sexual contact with the young boy -- and key-logging software played a major role in foiling that plan.
"It gives you an exact screen capture of whatever is occurring on the computer and then stores it within the computer and you can go back and check," Spina said.
There are some downsides to the software. There's "anti-key-logging software that counteract the spy program. Cyber thieves can also use key-logging programs against you.
Meanwhile, Bower faces five to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced in September.
www.wnyt.com
The U.S. attorney's office say they caught this convicted sex offender in the nick of time, just as he was about to travel thousands of miles to meet the teenage victim.
Bower told authorities that he engaged in sexual acts on a webcam with a the British boy.
The relationship started a year before Bower was arrested in November 2006.
He was caught thanks to a vigilant mother and some spy software. U.S. Attorney Tom Spina says the victim's mother was concerned about what her son was doing online. She bought key-logging software to track her son's every move.
"This software captured everything the minor was doing online. She discovered that her son was having a sexual relationship online with Mr. Bower from Hudson Falls, New York," Spin explained.
The boy's mother called police in England. They in turn called Immigration and Customs in the United States.
Spina says it was perfect timing when they picked him up at the Albany International Airport.
"Immediately got a complaint and arrested him at the airport as he was about to get on a plane to visit the minor," Spina said.
Spina says Bower was planning to have sexual contact with the young boy -- and key-logging software played a major role in foiling that plan.
"It gives you an exact screen capture of whatever is occurring on the computer and then stores it within the computer and you can go back and check," Spina said.
There are some downsides to the software. There's "anti-key-logging software that counteract the spy program. Cyber thieves can also use key-logging programs against you.
Meanwhile, Bower faces five to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced in September.
www.wnyt.com