A Texas A&M University (TAMU) employee, Clinton Harnden, has been arrested by the FBI on charges related to child pornography.
The arrest came after agents executed a search warrant at Harnden’s residence and found evidence of his involvement in receiving and possessing child pornography materials, KBTX reported.
Harnden held the position of Senior Administrative Coordinator at Texas A&M University. His LinkedIn profile indicates that he had been employed at the university for more than a decade, but only took on the senior administrative role in July 2020.
Harnden’s profile is still available on TAMU’s website.
According to the FBI affidavit obtained by Current Revolt, the investigation began following the arrest of Sarah Chadwick in Michigan on November 8 for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
During her post-arrest interview, Chadwick revealed her communication with Harnden via WhatsApp, where they exchanged significant amounts of CSAM.
Further analysis of the chat between Chadwick and Harnden revealed that Harnden used the term “pizza” as a code word to discuss CSAM.
According to FBI Special Agent Dimitri Willis, “CHADWICK and HARNDEN used the term “pizza” to talk about CSAM during this interaction. I know from my training and experience that “pizza” and/or “cheese pizza” is a known slang/code-word used by individuals to discuss CSAM in public forums without detection. After sharing the CSAM, CHADWICK asked HARNDEN if he thought she was horrible because of all the “pizza.” HARNDEN replied that “Pizza is one of my favorite foods.””
The investigation further revealed Harnden’s involvement in online communities dedicated to sharing CSAM, including groups on Tumblr and Wickr.
“Agents reviewed HARNDEN’s “ATXAGGIE2007” Tumblr page. The page was filled with posts and responses about pornographic material, including CSAM. One post by HARNDEN on Tumblr asked “Anyone give out free pizza today.” As stated before, I know from my training and experience that “pizza” and/or “cheese pizza” is a known slang/code- word used by individuals to refer to CSAM,” the affidavit read.
Harnden also engaged in conversations with another woman named “MONICA” on Snapchat, which is an instant messaging app known for its feature of making pictures and messages temporary.
At a later point, MONICA instructed Harnden to join Wickr, another instant messenger application. Wickr allowed users to exchange encrypted messages that would self-destruct after a certain period.
Once Harden joined Wickr, he was added to a group called “Moms.” This particular group on Wickr was exclusively dedicated to sharing CSAM images of children aged 7-8 years and above.
The Moms group regularly shared CSAM material, and each time Harnden logged into Wickr, he would find approximately 20 to 30 new messages from this group. Despite being aware of the content being shared, Harnden did not remove himself from the Moms group.
Harnden’s behavior extended to his personal life, with indications of inappropriate conduct towards his own daughter.
“On one or two occasions, HARNDEN mast—bated in his daughter’s room while his daughter was in bed sleeping. This happened on nights HARNDEN communicated with MONICA about CSAM and incest pedophilia role playing. MONICA and HARNDEN role played committing extreme, aggressive, and violent acts with his daughter. MONICA liked to demean HARNDEN’s daughter by calling her degrading names like c*nt and sl*t,” the affidavit read.
This story is based on the information provided in the FBI affidavit, which offers a detailed and unsettling account of the investigation and the evidence against Harnden. You can read the entire affidavit obtained by Current Revolt below:
Content Warning: Explicit Language
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