The Foreign Service Journal, June 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2018 25 Costa Rica case agent, and I determined we needed only $500 for the incriminating purchases. Instead, DS provided five times that amount to ensure we could do everything needed and have contingency funds. Without the support of DS, we could not have entered the websites anonymously to gather evidence, and the case would not have been ironclad. Costa Rica’s prosecutors told me that this step was the vital link that proved our case and directly tied our suspects to the crimes being committed against these children. (Costa Rican federal law enforcement authorities later named it 2017’s Investigation of the Year.) Imagine, with just $2,500 of U.S. funds, hard work and the collaboration of U.S., Costa Rican and Mexican authorities, we took down an international child pornography ring, saved countless children from life-destroying abuse, and both exposed the perpetrators of these horrific crimes and shined a light onto the buyers of this disgusting material. That is money well spent! Without a doubt, this has been one of the most gratifying cases of my career. Knowing that a coordinated international group of committed law enforcement personnel and multiple agencies and offices came together to destroy a ring that was exploiting and abusing minors was inspiring. But this is what DS agents and members of the Foreign Service do best every day—work together to make our corners of the world better and more secure. n Angel Watch alerts countries that a U.S. citizen convicted of sexual crimes against a minor is traveling there.