Warning: This article discusses child abuse and child sexual exploitation, which may be distressing for some readers.
A teenager who was drawn into the grim world of child pornography at 13 disappeared after revealing his ordeal to the FBI.
In 2000, Justin Berry from California appeared to be a typical 13-year-old. However, behind closed doors, he was embroiled in the disturbing realities of the internet’s dark corners.
Hoping to meet new friends or even a girlfriend, Berry used a webcam. Within minutes of uploading his first image, he was caught up in the profitable but horrific business of online child sexual exploitation.
Over five years, Berry was manipulated into providing explicit images and videos of himself, including engaging in acts with prostitutes, to appease hundreds of child predators.
This tragic story emerged when New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald found Berry and convinced him to disclose his activities—including other child victims—to the FBI.
A six-month investigation by the New York Times revealed that the growth of webcam-based sites had gone largely unnoticed by law enforcement or youth protection organizations, resulting in a surge of illicit, self-produced Webcam content involving minors.
At 19, Berry agreed to assist federal prosecutors in exchange for immunity. He testified before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the United States House Committee in Washington, DC, sharing his harrowing personal experience.
He declared: “I am here to speak about a danger facing this nation’s children, one that threatens not only their emotional health but their physical safety. This danger is internet child pornography, particularly involving the use of inexpensive web cameras which are used by adult predators to exploit children.”
Berry continued, “My experience is not as isolated as you might hope. This is not, as so many want to believe, the story of a few bad kids whose parents paid no attention. There are hundreds of kids in the United States alone who are right now wrapped up in this horror.”
The teenager shared how he initially posted an image online with his webcam at 13, hoping to connect with peers, but was instead bombarded with responses from older men who complimented his ‘good looks’ and showered him with lavish gifts.
Soon after, he was offered $50 to remove his shirt, and his exploitation escalated, leading him to meet adult men and endure molestation while performing degrading acts online for most of his teenage years.
“I was paid by more than 1,000 men to strip naked, masturbate and even have sex with female prostitutes while on camera,” he admitted, adding that his activities were “assisted by adult criminals.”
Berry acknowledged he was “not proud” of his actions, saying that while he couldn’t grasp the full scope of what was happening as a teen, he “progressively became corrupted and acted in shameful ways.”
“Still, I repeatedly attempted to pull away from this sick business. But, each time, I fell back into this criminal world that had first seduced me, and eventually controlled me,” he told the committee.
During his testimony, Berry revealed that Ken Gourlay persuaded him to attend a computer camp in Michigan at 15, during which Gourlay allegedly drove him to his home and molested him.
Berry further claimed that Gourlay continued to molest him several times. Gourlay exercised his Fifth Amendment rights, refusing to answer questions during the hearing.
The young man expressed his frustration with the lack of progress in bringing offenders to justice, stating: “Based on my case, efforts to prosecute these people are riddled with mistakes and bureaucracy. Unless something changes, hundreds, or even thousands, of children will be lost forever.”
In the aftermath of his testimony, Eichenwald told NPR News that Berry’s case “massively disrupted” the industry, causing “every” portal connected to teen sites to “shut down.”
The journalist compared the impact to “turning the lights on in the kitchen when the cockroaches are all in the center; they have scattered,” he remarked.
Although Berry’s case inspired new legislation and a political drive to combat child pornography, his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Berry made several media appearances between 2005 and 2007. According to El Vigia, he was reported missing in Mexico in August 2018 at the age of 32.
He has reportedly not been seen or heard from for several years.
If these issues affect you, or you wish to speak with someone confidentially regarding a child’s welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)) is available 24/7, receiving calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.