The South Florida head of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who spent decades busting criminals, will be in federal court today facing an indictment that accuses him of child-porn offenses on the Internet, the Miami Herald reports. Anthony Mangione, 50, was arrested yesterday on charges of possessing and distributing digital images of child porn on his computer.
Mangione was placed on paid leave in April after sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents began investigating four images of child porn he allegedly received on his home computer via an AOL e-mail account. The investigation grew significantly over the summer, leading to the alleged discovery of more images of child porn on his computer. The Justice Department probe took months to complete as investigators conducted a forensic analysis of his computer and other electronic equipment to determine whether Mangione sent, received or distributed illegal digital images of children. ICE has aggressively targeted child pornography, with Mangione frequently speaking out against “predators'' who illegally share images through their computers.