Snuff/bestiality film ring
Shreveport, LA (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 2, 2005
County: Caddo

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: Daniel Smart

Authorities entered the Shreveport home of a suspected international pornography distributor on the morning of Aug 2 to find a 6-foot, 2-inch, 300-plus-pound man sitting in his underwear at a computer "chatting" over the Internet as a woman named Kinky Saline.

State police believe 32-year-old Daniel Smart was in charge of a 7-year-old distribution ring that sent snuff and bestiality films all over the world, including Europe and Asia, as he profited more than $2 million over that time.

The home in the 3700 block of Frederick Street in Queensborough -- only three houses from Judson Fundamental Elementary School -- was raided about 8 a.m. Tuesday by state and Shreveport police, U.S. marshals, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs agents and U.S. postal inspectors.

Authorities seized rows and rows of DVDs and videotapes, computers, recording devices, bank accounts, 25 bowling balls and two cars together worth more than $100,000 -- an Acura NSX and Lexus 430, state Trooper Doug Pierrelee said.

There was no immediate indication that child pornography was in the house, but all the recordings have not been viewed, he said.

Smart faces federal and state charges of obscenity, mail fraud, money laundering and tax evasion for starters, Pierrelee said, adding that the material found clearly meets obscenity standards for the area.

"Half of the house is devoted to the production of DVDs and tapes. This is the biggest one we have ever seen." Pierrelee said. The business rakes in about $40,000 a month, he said.

State police started investigating after a tip on their Web site in December from an anonymous informant who feared a woman appearing in a snuff film was going to be seriously injured or killed, Pierrelee said.

The film shows the woman being "abused and tortured" and put through a simulated death, Pierrelee said. Investigators have made contact with the woman, and she apparently is OK, he said.

Some of the animals in the bestiality films include eels and snakes, Pierrelee said.

Smart reportedly conducted his operation through cybertainment.com, an online site that appears to have been shut down.

Neighbors were shocked to find out what allegedly had been going on in the house with chipped white paint on the front and unkempt lawn and bushes.

"It's sad," Melody Craig said. "I wouldn't have expected for this to happen on this block."

Solomon Richardson, who has lived on the street the past 34 years, said Smart hardly ever "associated with anybody. They always said he did his job at his home, I just didn't know what."

There were two other people in the house when it was raided. Authorities identified them as Smart's mother and his brother. They are not suspected of being involved in the distribution ring and were not arrested, authorities said.

References

• 
  « More cases in Caddo County, LA

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.