Philadelphia man charged with producing child pornography

PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for producing child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison. This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Steven Mazer, 25, of Philadelphia, was arrested Friday by HSI special agents. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania today, where he was ordered held in federal custody. According to investigators, Mazer taught karate at a school in the Bustleton section of Philadelphia, which offers classes to young children.

Anyone with information regarding Mazer or this on-going investigation is encouraged to call HSI Philadelphia at 215-717-4987.

This investigation is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.