Florida Resident Charged for the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Georgia

DeKalb, GA (April 28, 2022) – On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, Elan Ben-Hanania, age 30, previously of Fayette County, GA, and now currently of Orlando, FL, was arrested and charged with three counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) and three counts Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Ben-Hanania’s online activity after receiving Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the online possession and distribution of images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The investigation revealed the identity of the subject, Ben-Hanania, and that the possession and distribution of the CSAM occurred within Fayette County, GA. At the time that arrest warrants were obtained for Ben-Hanania, he had relocated to Orlando, FL. The GBI obtained assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in locating and arresting Ben-Hanania on the criminal charges from Georgia.

Ben-Hanania is currently in custody in Orlando, FL, awaiting extradition to Georgia.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.