Police in New Jersey have charged 41 people with sending child rape photos and videos over the internet.
The arrests come after two-month investigation in which a police combed the internet for people distributing such images.
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Silent Shield", encompassed 15 of New Jersey's 21 counties.
The suspects, aged between 14 and 71, were charged with child pornography possession and distribution and face 18 months to 10 years in jail. One of those who was arrested was a 14-year-old boy.
READ MORE
Many of the suspects were members of popular social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook, authorities said.