Jacob Walden, co-owner and executive of Woodmere-based Emerald Healthcare, indicted on child porn and other charges

 

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Valley Stream man accused of sexually exploitation of children is facing multiple charges, the United States Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Jacob Israel Walden, 38, was charged with sexual exploitation of children; receipt of child pornography; possession of child pornography; and access with intent to view child pornography, authorities said.

Walden was arrested on a complaint on July 31, 2024, officials said. United States District Judge Gary R. Brown ordered Walden detained during his trial.

"As alleged, the defendant enticed minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet in exchange for payment," John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a news release. "Protecting children from predators who sexually exploit them will always be a priority of my Office."

Law enforcement first identified Walden, a healthcare executive and Long Island resident, as a repeat purchaser of child sexual abuse material from a large-scale production and distribution ring that advertised, sold and distributed child sexual abuse material to adult male buyers, the Department of Justice stated.

Walden also used social media and encrypted messaging services to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors, investigators said. During these conversations, Walden enticed the minors to produce child pornography of themselves for payment, prosecutors said.

In his chat conversations with the minors, Walden insisted that he be addressed as "daddy," provided directions for what content the minors were to produce (e.g., "take off your top,") and paid the minors via electronic payment after he received the requested content, the justice department stated.

Walden was also a "prolific purchaser" of child sexual abuse material from online producers and distributors of child pornography, investigators said. Law enforcement agents recovered numerous images and videos of child pornography from Walden's iPhone, prosecutors said.

If found guilty, Walden faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.

"We are determined to dismantle the insidious network of online child sexual exploitation and abuse — no child's innocence should be for sale," said Spiros Karabinas, HSI Newark acting

special agent in charge. "Every day HSI Newark and our partners work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation by predators who produce, distribute and possess child sexual abuse material. The public can help us in that fight by notifying HSI immediately if they suspect someone is exploiting or abusing a child by calling our HSI tip line, 1-877-4-HSI-TIP."