Child Pornography Cache Seized in Placentia Home

Orange County officials have shut down an unlicensed day-care operation in a Placentia home after federal agents, in a raid Wednesday, seized a graphic collection of child pornography from the home’s garage.

About a dozen U.S. postal inspectors and customs agents, in a search for illegally mailed child pornography, entered the Kilmer Drive home of George and Judy Milledge late Wednesday afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the county ordered Judy Milledge to end her day-care operation or face possible criminal prosecution. She has been baby sitting for several children for at least a year, according to parents whose children she cared for.

Officials stressed that they had no evidence that the children being cared for in the home had been involved in any type of pornographic activities.

Authorities said the raid was undertaken as part of an ongoing investigation by a federal, state and local task force into about 70 Southern California child pornography cases. The target Wednesday was George Franklin Milledge, 46, described as a sales manager for an auto accessories company and an “exemplary” youth football referee and member of the Orange County Football Officials Assn.

Material Found in Trunk of Car

Under a search warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Venetta Tassopulos, the agents seized pornographic videotapes and films, about 25 featuring children, from the trunk of a dusty car parked in Milledge’s garage.

Inside the house, which was adorned with Christmas decorations, the agents seized dozens of films and videotapes featuring teen-agers and adults engaged in sexual acts, pornographic magazines, sexual paraphernalia, an 8-millimeter movie camera, a video camera, and letters and bank records, according to the agents who conducted the search.

As agents combed the house in search of evidence, a weeping Judy Milledge called the parents of the six children in her charge to say that an “emergency” had come up. Arriving to pick up their children, parents expressed shock at what was going on.

“The agents didn’t recover any evidence to indicate Mr. Milledge was abusing children in the home,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Charles J. Stevens said. But he said the case received “top priority” because children were being cared for by Judy Milledge.

Suspect Was Not Arrested

Milledge was not arrested but probably will be sent a summons to appear in federal court, Stevens said.

During the three-hour raid, investigators found quantities of legal sexual material, and nothing related to children. But after two hours of questioning by federal investigators at the Placentia Police Department on Wednesday, Milledge directed agents to return to his house and told them that child pornography could be found in the trunk of his car in the garage, authorities said.

Federal law prohibits the mailing or transporting of certain material including the “visual depiction of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” according to federal prosecutors.

Each count of mailing or receiving child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines, Stevens said.

Milledge could not be reached for comment. Contacted by telephone at her home Friday, Judy Milledge declined to talk. During the raid, agents said, she told them: “I think pornography is disgusting.”

After county officials were alerted to Wednesday’s raid, the supervisor of the county’s family day care licensing unit issued a cease-and-desist order, delivered to the Milledge home Thursday afternoon. Susan Martinez said the order “prevents them from taking care of children without a license.”

“If they continue, then we refer it to the (district attorney) for legal action,” Martinez said. It is a misdemeanor under the state Health and Safety Code to operate a day-care center without a license, she said.

“We are not usually that fast, but we had to give this woman an immediate cease-and-desist order,” she added.

Martinez said the kind of material seized by federal agents posed a “clear and present danger” to the children cared for by Judy Milledge. Martinez said a check of county records revealed that she had never applied for a home day-care license.

“We had never heard of her,” Martinez said.

Six children--three toddler girls and three elementary school-age boys--were at the Milledge home when the agents arrived. Federal agents were accompanied by a Placentia police officer and Orange County sheriff’s investigators, who also participated in the search.

Parents who arrived at the home to get their children while it was being searched said that Judy Milledge was crying and upset. But they said they had been happy with the care she provided.

“Judy was a basket case,” said Darryl Coulter, whose 7-year-old son has been in Judy Milledge’s care for about a year. He said the home was always immaculate and the children appeared happy and well-tended.

“The care was excellent,” Coulter said in an interview Friday. “I don’t think she had any idea of what was going on.”

Coulter said he frequently arrived to pick up his son at odd times during the day and there was never any reluctance on Judy Milledge’s part to let him inside the house. Coulter said he had spoken only briefly to George Milledge.

Milledge has been an active youth football referee for about five years, according to Bill Hudson, who is responsible for assigning referees to youth football games in Orange County .

Described as Active

“He was very active. He worked every weekend,” Hudson said. “I’ve never had any problems with him. He worked every weekend I asked him to.”

Hudson said that officials of the referees association will have to discuss what action, if any, to take against Milledge in light of the raid and federal allegations.

Another referee, former Placentia City Councilman Mike Callahan, said Friday that he has known Milledge for about four years.

“Everything he has been associated with has been exemplary,” Callahan said. “I’m shocked.”

“He is very, very good with children,” said Callahan, adding that Milledge “never missed a game.”

Two separate events led federal agents to the Milledge home in the upper-middle-class, manicured neighborhood, according to Kacy McClelland, chief of the Santa Ana-based team of postal inspectors handling the case.

On Oct. 31, 1986, U.S. Customs agents seized two magazines mailed from Sweden addressed to “Hal Weber, c/o George Milledge.” The magazines, “Chicken NR2” and “Dream Boy 13,” contain “numerous photographs of minor male children engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” according to an affidavit written by Customs Agent Kelley Wilson.

Undercover Agents

In December, 1985, Milledge allegedly responded to an advertisement in an adult magazine and began corresponding with undercover agents for the Postal Service who specialize in child pornography cases.

Last Sunday, an undercover agent taped a phone conversation that he had with Milledge. On the tape, Milledge said he has been collecting child pornography for five to 10 years, receives all of his “boychild” pornography from a contact in Sweden and has more than 60 films in his collection, according to an affidavit that was filed Friday in Los Angeles federal court, along with a search warrant.

“He also trades ‘family scene’ videos with two other families, one in Oregon and the other in Colorado. These videos include 14- and 15-year-old boys,” the affidavit said.

In a copy of a Sept. 5, 1986, letter allegedly written and signed by Milledge and sent to the Postal Service’s undercover agent, Milledge wrote:

“Unlike you I like Teenage Videos and movies, ages 14 thru 17 Boys on Boys, Boys on Girls and Girls on Girls. . . . The stuff I have to trade is excellent, all Home-Made Family-Fun & Games. . . . By the way, If you would like to send your stuff via United Parcel Service and not through the mails, I will give you our home address so that you can.” The letter was attached to the affidavit.

Agents also seized a copy of an advertisement allegedly submitted by Milledge in “Ad-Venture” magazine. The ad says: “Mine are all home-made no commercial in my collection or no pros either--young people right off the street and some are friends of mine in the neighborhood etc.”

Among the magazines seized by agents were “Children Love,” “New Lolita,” “Schoolgirls,” “Lesbian Lolita” and “Boys,” according to the affidavit. Tapes seized had titles such as “Teenage Deviates,” “Teen age Twins,” and “Kim & Kathy and Friends.”

So far this year, the joint federal task force has handled about 35 child pornography cases in Southern California. The task force includes representatives from the U.S. attorney’s office, the Postal Inspection Service, FBI, U.S. Customs Service and the Los Angeles Police Department, among other agencies.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Stevens, who is a member of the task force, said that 35 child pornography cases are under investigation. He said that in 95% of the cases, the defendants plead guilty. Only two cases will go to trial this year, Stevens added.

“We expect to present the (Milledge) case to the grand jury next week,” Stevens said in an interview Friday.