Pedophiles Nabbed as Banks Join Cops to Follow Money Trail

After police arrested Timothy Ford, a twice-convicted sex offender, they found countless photos of unclothed young boys on his computer. Yet when they sought to expand the investigation, they didn’t just focus on the images. They also followed the money trail Ford left in paying for the material, eventually shutting down a ring that included dozens of people on four continents.

Acting on a tip that Ford, 53, was communicating with other pedophiles, officers raided his bungalow in Northamptonshire, 70 miles northwest of London. As they waded through dirty clothing and trash piled as high as the bed, they unearthed a laptop with hundreds of photos and videos that Ford directed from his keyboard, tapping out instructions -- “Play with each other” or “Close up, please” -- to boys as young as six, police documents show. Just as important for investigators were the details of Western Union Co. money transfers to adults who abused the children live via a webcam stream from the Philippines.