In 2003,[1] the New Jersey District Attorney's Office launched an investigation into the activities of the Belarusian firm Regpay Co. Ltd (operated together with the Florida-based Connections company[2]).
Taking into account this circumstance, Latvian law enforcement officers passed information on the flow of money through the country's banks to their Belarusian colleagues.
[5] On February 15, 2004, Eugene Valentine, CEO of Connections, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money for Regpay and its heads.
About 860 customers were from Australia, Great Britain, Denmark, China, Norway, Spain, Finland, France, Sweden and Switzerland.
Attorney General John Ashcroft, commenting on the investigation, called the operation a blow to "the very heart of the commercial trade in child pornography".
[9][10] At a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in 2006, Operation Falcon was called an excellent example of how a single investigation can lead to the detention of hundreds of criminals.