Male arrested as result of ICAC investigation

Boulder County, Colo. - On January 30, 2025, 39-year-old Darek William MARINO was arrested on a warrant for five counts of sexual exploitation of a child relating to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The investigation began after detectives at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab (BCDFL) were notified that a law enforcement officer in Florida had received CSAM files from someone in the Boulder County area during a Peer-to-Peer investigation. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing allows people using special software to download and share files with other users around the world via the internet.

Through investigation and service of court orders on electronic service providers (ESPs), an investigator at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab identified MARINO as the suspect and was able to obtain a search warrant for his residence in the 1300 block of Terry Street in Longmont, Boulder County, CO. Detectives, with the assistance of the Longmont SWAT Team, served the search warrant and seized over a dozen electronic devices. Detailed forensic analysis of the seized devices, which is a lengthy process, led to the discovery of P2P software and CSAM videos and photos. On two of the devices, nearly 400 files of CSAM were found, most of which depicted female children under the age of 12 years old engaged in sexual activities. This resulted in probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant for MARINO for possessing CSAM.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office houses local members of the Colorado ICAC Task Force, comprised of Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to other responsibilities, investigators assigned to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab are tasked with investigating child sexual exploitation cases and high technology crimes and provide digital forensics expertise and analysis on a wide range of cases.

MARINO was booked into the Boulder County Jail on an arrest warrant with a $100,000 bond for 1 count of violating C.R.S. §18-6-403(3)(b.5), Sexual exploitation of a child – possession of a video, a Class 4 Extraordinary Risk Felony and 4 counts of violating C.R.S. §18-6-403(3)(b.5), Sexual exploitation of a child – possession of an image, a Class 5 Extraordinary Risk Felony.

Agencies who assisted with this investigation include the: Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, Boulder Police Department, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. ICAC detectives from the Thornton Police Department also assisted in the search warrant service, in an effort to increase cooperation between other ICAC investigators in the region and share best practices based on experience.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number for this investigation is 24-01910.

About ICAC:
The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a group of local and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors located in and around the state of Colorado who are trained and dedicated to protecting children online by investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against children, facilitated by the internet, technology, and computer usage. Colorado ICAC is a member of the National ICAC Task Force.

If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited online, you can report it online (link is external) or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.

As in every criminal case, these charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

###

/s/Detective Sergeant Clay Leak