BABY-PORN EX-COP HEADS TO PERV PEN

New York Post/Kati Cornell Smith

Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that Federal law enforcement authorities have charged89 people, including seven New York State residents, in a nationwide crackdown on an Internet childpornography ring. Among the 89 members of a defunct discussion group on Yahoo! Inc.'s Web sitearrested in the undercover FBI probe over 17 months are Paul Alexander, 39, of Bay Shore, SusanFlynn, 35, and her husband, James Flynn, 36, of West Hempstead, and Shannon Timothy Macauley, 36,an upstate school bus driver from upstate Constable. Two Catholic priests, six other clergymembers,a preschool teachers aide and at least one police officer also were arrested as part of theoperation named Candyman after the now shuttered e-group, (www.egroups.com/groups/thecandyman).So far, 27 members of the e-group have admitted to molesting 36 children. The investigation hasuncovered 7,000 members of the e-group and has focused its efforts on those with the greatestaccess to children. Twenty men in the metropolitan area were arrested including one ex-cop. Thearrest of disgraced New York City officer and former PBA delegate Brian Mathews, 40, came fouryears after he was tried on administrative charges for ordering child pornography through the mailand kicked off the force. Mathews pleaded guilty to the kiddie-porn charges, admitting he'd peruseda sexually explicit photo of a baby. He admitted to viewing one particular image showing an infantengaged in sexually explicit conduct - under a plea deal hammered out with Assistant US AttorneyKatya Jestin.

Mathews has been sentenced to 19 months in a special prison for sex perverts. He has been sentto a federal treatment program in South Carolina.

(Washington)