Courts / Dublin / Report

Alleged "largest facilitator of child porn" in the world in last-ditch bid to stop extradition to US

Summary

In June 2017, Eric Eoin Marques, a 30‑year‑old Irishman living in Dublin, faced a legal battle to stop his extradition to the United States. The FBI had described him as the world's largest facilitator of child pornography, alleging he owned and ran the anonymous hosting site Freedom Hosting. U.S. authorities charged him with conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography, specifically involving extremely violent images of pre‑pubescent children. Marques had been in custody since his 2013 arrest, and a 2015 High Court order for his surrender was upheld by the Court of Appeal. He had also challenged the Director of Public Prosecutions' decision not to prosecute him for the offences tied to the surrender, but both the High Court and Court of Appeal dismissed his actions. In May, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal on that matter, and an application to the European Court of Human Rights was also denied.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Alleged "largest facilitator of child porn" in the world in last-ditch bid to stop extradition to US. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• August 2013 Incident
• June 30 Hearing Or Sentence
• June 26 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2017-06-14 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report