Undercover Probe Targets Nudist Firm

AUGUST 19--As part of an undercover probe, federal agents have been targeting customers of a New Jersey-based business selling nudist publications in a sting operation aimed at trying to get these clients to purchase child pornography videos, The Smoking Gun has learned.

The undercover operation, run out of the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Newark office, is focusing on subjects receiving mail from Internaturally, Inc., a 30-year-old business whose web site advertises the “World’s biggest naturist catalog.” The company--run by Bernard Loibl, 62, and his wife Sherry, 57--also publishes “Naturally,” a quarterly nudist magazine with 6000 subscribers.

Details of the unorthodox federal probe surfaced this week in a court filing related to an August 4 raid at the South Carolina home of Joseph Laney, an Internaturally customer. A search warrant affidavit, excerpted here, provides a glimpse at the undercover operation, which apparently involves the monitoring of Internaturally’s mail. Known as a “mail cover,” the investigative tool allows agents to record details about senders and recipients of postal items.

According to the affidavit, Postal Inspector Brian Wittig “identified” Laney as “having U.S. Mail correspondence with” Internaturally. Wittig reported that the company “published a nudist magazine called Naturally, which offered images of nude children under the age of 18,” adding that the publication included ads “selling videos containing footage of” naked minors.

Aware that “those who have a sexual interest in children may also show an interest in obtaining child pornography,” Wittig created an undercover company, Vista Line Videos, that purported to be “one of the most complete speciality video suppliers in North America.” The firm’s 11 video categories included “Bestiality,” “Girls-Adolescent,” and "Incest & Family.” In a bid to entice customers, Wittig has sent unsolicited advertisements to individuals who have received mail from Internaturally (the firm has a 30,000-name mailing list).

The undercover mailing included a catalog request form that was to be filled out by the recipient. In Laney’s case, he wrote back Vista Line Videos and asked for five of its catalogs. Agents subsequently sent Laney, 55, five one-page catalogs, which listed 67 separate video titles and descriptions.

Laney, according to the affidavit, ordered a $30 DVD titled “Next Top Model.” According to one of the undercover operation’s catalogs, the video featured “many incredibly sexy 10-12 year old girls” stripping and showing off “their nude young bodies.” After the video was delivered to Laney, his Rock Hill home was raided by federal agents, who recovered a “Delivered ‘Vista Line Videos’ DVD from DVD player,” according to a court filing.

In a TSG interview, Laney admitted purchasing the DVD, which he termed a “mistake in judgment.” Claiming to be a “naturalist,” he said that the video was “not for sexual gratification,” adding that he thought the title was “straight nudist.” Laney, who has not yet been arrested in connection with his Vista Line Videos purchase, was unaware how federal agents came to target him in the undercover probe. Asked if he was an Internaturally customer, Laney replied that he had purchased items from the firm “on and off” since the mid-1980s.

In interviews, the Loibls told TSG that other customers reported receiving the unsolicited mailing, but that the couple did not begin connecting the dots until they were recently contacted by a lawyer representing a man who had been caught up in the sting. Bernard Loibl described his business as a “wholesome naturist organization,” while his wife noted that the firm has never encountered any legal problems. “We do not have anything to do with child pornography,” she said.

Both Loibls said they were distressed to learn that their mail was apparently being tracked and their customers were being targeted by federal investigators.

But while Sherry Loibl described Internaturally’s clientele as those “truly interested in the naturist lifestyle,” it is not hard to imagine publications and videos sold by the company--in addition to the firm’s web site itself--being of interest to pedophiles. The titles--which are often produced overseas--do not include sexual activity. But they frequently show young children naked, which can be jarring and unsettling, especially since the Internet is crawling with individuals thirsty for such imagery.

Additionally, some of the imported products offered by Internaturally--like the $80 DVD “Naturist Family Talent Contest”--carry descriptions that could easily be interpreted as sleazy come-ons: “Several Naturist girls show off their various talents in this family contest on the beach. Hundreds of people attend and every girl wins a prize.” Sherry Loibl described videos like this as “innocent portrayals of families having fun.” (5 pages)