New Jersey Attorney General David Samson said Wednesday that officials in 29 U.S. states and at least 15 other countries were looking to serve search warrants on suspects' computers after authorities took over a child pornography Web site and used it to set up an undercover site.

The warrants authorized the seizure of computers, computer systems, programs, hardware and software that might contain evidence relating to the possession or distribution of child pornography.

Officials said the warrants were under seal and that no charges would be filed until the investigation was completed, but the potential charges were possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography. They did not identify the nationalities of the suspects outside the United States.

Samson said the investigation began last December when Wyoming authorities notified counterparts in New Jersey that they had uncovered a New Jersey-based Web site advertising and trading in child pornography.

He said he turned the investigation, dubbed "Operation Web Sweep," over to New Jersey's new Computer Analysis and Technology Unit, which used advanced computer-related investigative procedures to track the suspect Web site to a New Jersey-based computer server.

With the cooperation of the server operator, investigators determined the site contained images of "clearly prepubescent" boys along with advertising describing the site's content and images. It charged a membership fee of $19.99.

In February, authorities disabled the site and removed all child pornography, then created a replacement at the same domain address.

The Web site, which contained no illegal content, was styled to resemble the original. Previous subscribers were informed the site was rebuilding its collection of images. Through an assigned user name and password, subscribers could upload or transmit pictures to the site.

Samson said the investigation targeted those who logged on to download or who provided images depicting child pornography to the undercover Web site.

Officials said that as the global scope of the investigation became clear, New Jersey sought the help of federal officials and law enforcement agencies from other countries, which joined the operation.

Story Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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