The largest child pornography conspiracy ever prosecuted
On the morning of September 10, 2008, US Postal Inspector Lori Heath had assembled a Baltimore team to raid the ramshackle Independence Street home of a suspected Internet child pornography kingpin. They got an early start; with help from local cops, Heath put the house under surveillance at 6:00am. By 8:30am, the full twelve-person group of postal inspectors, digital forensics specialists, and police officers was in position, but they couldn’t act—Heath was stalled down at the District Court, still waiting to get her search warrant signed. Without it, the raid was on hold.
The target was Roger Lee Loughry Sr., a fiftysomething mechanic with a high-school education, a handlebar mustache, and a love for motorcycles. Heath, in constant communication with her team back on Independence Street, wanted her warrant before Loughry got spooked by the surveillance. While she waited, Loughry stepped out into the morning air, unkempt hair hanging to his shoulders. To ensure he didn’t leave the property, the surveillance team broke from their vehicles and detained him next to his home.
