Mother denies livestreaming sons' sexual abuse, says her ex 'brainwashed the boys'
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse that readers may find disturbing.
WEST PALM BEACH — A mother accused of livestreaming her children's sexual abuse has denied the accusations and lobbed a few of her own. In a recent court filing, the woman said a vengeful ex-boyfriend "brainwashed" her sons into reporting her to police without cause.
The woman has remained in the Palm Beach County Jail since her arrest in early March, denied bail by a judge who said he'd never heard allegations as shocking as those against the 38-year-old mother and her suspected accomplices. The Palm Beach Post is not identifying the defendants in order to protect the identities of the two minor children.
During an FBI raid of their home in suburban Boca Raton, investigators found the sex toys, cameras and other recording equipment they believe were used to broadcast the boys' abuse to a paying audience online. The brothers were removed from the home in late November, after they visited their father for Thanksgiving and reportedly told him of the abuse that began five years earlier.
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Defense attorneys Marc Shiner and Heidi Perlet filed a motion for pretrial release on the woman's behalf last week. In it, they accused the children's estranged father — whose call to police triggered the investigation and subsequent arrests — of "twisting the minds" of his 14- and 7-year-old sons in hopes of gaining sole custody over them.
"His intent was clear," the attorneys wrote. "Have her arrested so he could move into her home with the couple's two minor children."
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Shiner said that years before her arrest, the boys' mother ended her relationship with their father and evicted him from their home. The man made several attempts to rejoin the household anyway, Shiner said, including having his mail rerouted to the old address and threatening to falsely accuse the woman to police if she didn't break up with the man who took his place.
The woman did not break up with her new boyfriend but agreed to let her sons visit their father in North Florida for Thanksgiving. Shiner said the father refused to bring the children back to Boca Raton, prompting their mother to file a parental kidnapping complaint with law enforcement.
"It is only after (she) tried to bring her children back to Palm Beach County that these horrible allegations of abuse were made," the attorney wrote.
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Shiner and Perlet said the older of the two brothers is autistic and easily influenced by his "jealous and bitter" father. The younger brother, they said, is easily swayed by the older one. The attorneys said the father fed lies to the older boy about his mother, causing him to become violent and angry toward her and ultimately culminating in the abuse allegations.
Shiner wrote that neither boy agreed to be medically examined by authorities, which "certainly would have confirmed or refuted" the allegations of extensive abuse. He added that the Florida Department of Children and Families asked a judge to terminate the woman's parental rights soon after her arrest, but withdrew that request last month. It did not offer a reason why.
Shiner said he suspects that the agency "recognized that these allegations were fabricated."
DCF attorney Rachel Cohen declined to comment on the case when reached by The Palm Beach Post on Friday. She referred questions to the DCF communications department, which did not issue a statement by the time of this story's publication.
Sex toys, deleted videos and repeat payments among evidence against Florida couple
Though authorities did not find footage of the abuse, they did find evidence that on the day after their investigation began, someone erased 33 videos from an online account linked to the couple. The website that hosted the since-deleted videos markets itself as a "moral-free" site for users to "upload your goodies."
Investigators also found repeated payments to the adults' accounts ranging from $35 to $200. Most had no description listed, with the exception of one recurring transaction labeled "Tech support."
While agents mined the couples' internet history, deputies interviewed the boys on numerous occasions, their statements consistent each time. The children described the flash of a camera that accompanied the alleged abuse and the nightmares they continued to have.
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The boys said that in addition to sexual abuse, the adults hit, slapped, cursed and spit at them, sometimes yanking them hard enough to leave a bruise. One son recalled holding onto his younger brother's arm while their mother pulled the other arm, intent on dragging him into her room.
"I was crying and sobbing," one boy said. He recalled a particular incident as "the longest night of my life."
His mother is scheduled to appear in court on May 10 to ask Circuit Judge Sarah Willis to release her from jail. The Palm Beach Post attempted to reach the children's father for comment. However, the phone numbers contained in public records were out of service.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the Palm Beach County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center can help. Reach their helpline at 561-833-7273, or toll-free at 866-891-7273.
Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida mother denies sexually abusing her sons, says ex brainwashed them
