"Best Santa Ever" A Pedophile?

58-Year-Old N.J. Man Who Was Target Of Global Manhunt Charged With Producing Child Porn

(AP)  A rare international alert seeking a man shown in dozens of raw child porn images quickly led to the arrest of a small-time actor, who painted faces at children's parties and performed as "the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen."

Wayne Nelson Corliss told authorities he had sex with three boys in Thailand six years ago, an experience he described as "euphoria," a prosecutor said Thursday at Corliss' first court appearance.

The arrest of the bespectacled, gray-haired 58-year-old at his Union City apartment late Wednesday capped a two-day global manhunt, just the second time Interpol has sought the public's help in tracking down a suspected pedophile. He is believed to have sexually abusing at least three boys thought to have been 6 to 10 years old, according to the international police agency.

Corliss is charged with producing child pornography and could face 10 to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.

At Thursday's hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Vartan said Corliss told the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who arrested him that he had sex with three boys over three nights in Thailand in 2002. "He described it as 'euphoria' to the agents," Vartan said.

Vartan also said agents found about 1,000 images of child pornography on computer hard drives in the apartment. They also found several pairs of boys' underwear, including one that Corliss told authorities he brought back from Thailand as a souvenir, the prosecutor said.

Corliss, who spoke only twice during the court appearance, said he was a comedy writer and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He asked for a lawyer to be appointed to him but was not asked to enter a plea. He was being held without bond pending a hearing Monday.

A SAG spokeswoman said the union does not confirm who is or is not a member.

Neighbors and colleagues know Corliss, who acted under the stage name Casey Wayne, as a witty man who liked to write and eschewed 9-to-5 jobs in favor of acting and entertainment gigs - including painting faces and playing Santa Claus at parties.

Judy Stone, a neighbor who worked with him as an entertainer at corporate parties, art fairs and bar mitzvahs said he did a wonderful job.

"He's the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen," Stone said. "I've never seen him act in a way that was creepy or predatory toward children."

Raven Squire, the superintendent of the apartment building where Corliss has lived for more than two decades, said Corliss was very computer savvy and had a cluttered apartment, but that he never saw anything inappropriate there.

"He's a very amiable man, a great sense of wittiness," Squire said. "He seemed very stable, always paid his rent."

Corliss' arrest came two days after Interpol took the rare step of asking for the public's help. Two years of investigation had failed to determine the identity, whereabouts or even the nationality of a man shown engaged in sex with children in images associated with a Canadian child pornography investigation in 2005.

Interpol's secretary general, Ronald Noble, said 460 leads flooded in within the first 24 hours after the agency launched its public appeal Tuesday. Three of those leads, e-mailed to Interpol from people in the United States who thought they recognized the man but who requested anonymity, were particularly strong, and all referred to the suspect by the name Casey Wayne, Noble said.

The leads also came with photographs of the man and other details about him, including a resume for Corliss that described him "an acclaimed portrayer of Santa Claus every winter holiday season," who played at parties for New York banks and others, Noble said.

"That brought him into contact with children on a regular basis," Noble said.

In one of the e-mails, an informant wrote: "I think I know this man ... He is a good man and I am shocked!" said Noble.

It was only the second time that Interpol had launched such a public manhunt for a suspected pedophile. The first time, in October, led to the quick arrest by police in Thailand of Christopher Paul Neil, a 32-year-old Canadian. Neil went on trial in March, accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy.

Interpol said Wednesday that its appeal this time produced more than 200 leads - potential names, locations and photos of the suspect - in the first 24 hours.

Photos seized by police in Norway in 2006 showed the abuse and appeared to have been taken in Thailand, the international police agency said. The man did not appear to make any effort to hide his identity in the photos seized from the computer of a man later convicted of child sex offenses, officials said.

Photos released by Interpol showed a gray-haired white man wearing glasses or lying on a checkered mattress or blanket in a yellow plaid shirt.

A computerized Interpol database of child abuse images played a part in the manhunt. The first photos seized in Norway and others received in the two years since were run through the database of more than 520,000 images.

In all, the database and police investigations helped turn up a total of around 800 images, including nearly 100 of the man himself and others of his suspected victims or places where he is thought to have committed his alleged crimes, Interpol said.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose agents arrested Corliss, he traveled extensively in Asia, including making apparent trips to Thailand in 2000 and 2002.

"I've worked many children's parties with him. Whatever he did in Thailand, he did in Thailand," said Stone, the woman who has worked with him. "Whatever he did ... he didn't do it here or convey that in his work with children."

[underdogus]

Do the names Wayne Williams or R. Kelly ring a bell?
Posted by atlanta3 ....Nearly 70% of those serving time for violent crimes against children were WHITE..Bureau of Justice Statistics Survey of State Prison inmates...

[gunsrevil]

I once had s.e.x. with a ten year old,does that make me a pedophile? But I was only five at the time.I still insist it was not my fault but I did enjoy it.

[atlanta30326]

Underdogus:

Do the names Wayne Williams or R. Kelly ring a bell?

[underdogus]

It seems that most pedophiles and child molesters are white by watching the news. Its always a white man getting busted for messing with kids. I cant remember one time on TV that a Black Man was busted for being a Molester.

Posted by acolton1

my name is underdogus and I approve this message

[johnshaft4]

This guy is obviously a right wing, conservative Christian Republican.

[downsteamjim]

He needs to spend some quality time in a nice resort like Angola Prison Farm. Make him wear a shirt with child molester on it.

[downsteamjim]

To gce65: The evidence is the same that this slime is a democrat super delegate.

[underdogus]

It seems that most pedophiles and child molesters are white by watching the news. Its always a white man getting busted for messing with kids. I cant remember one time on TV that a Black Man was busted for being a Molester.

Posted by acolton1

[trbundro1277]

Juan Amnesty McCains new Education secretary...LOL!

[brianbwb-2009]

Ironic that a myth created to supplant the religious significance of Christmas, and to replace it with the exact opposite, materialism, would then become a disguise for pedophiles.

[gce65]

And he''s probably a Republi-con ex-congressman.

[moglislok]

Castration must be the only socially acceptable punishment for male peadophile predators.

[harp1963]

Pedophiles should received an automatic life in prision sentence.

[dakotaclark]

Hmmm...

It is not just a Black or White thing - pedophiles exist in every race. Research shows that in almost all cases, the person committing sexual abuse today, was sexually abused when younger.

For unknown reasons, in some people there is a compelling, uncontrollable need to revisit the traumatic experience, only as a perpetrator, not the victim. Even the best psychiatrists cannot agree on the cause, or, treatment.

Unfortunately, all over the world there are many people carrying the dark secret of having found out about *** before it was appropriate. Few would admit it. Underage *** has been happening for years in many places not just Thailand. The parents make or ask their children do such things, in the chase for money.

I am to see that INTERPOL and police in Thailand, are taking an aggressive action to stop this crime. If you can%u2019t do the time, don%u2019t do the crime. Life in prison with a cellmate named Weird Chuck, could be the answer.

The parents, guardians, or care providers of the children should be severely punished too. Letting them have a free ride is not good.

[xnavygrrl]

Judy Stone needs to be kicked in the teeth! I can''t imagine advocating for a child molester!
What a bizzznatch!

[messiahx4eve]

I believe this guy is somehow related to cheney on his mother''s side, not sure but I heard it from about six or seven good sources. like his cousin or uncle.

[jt92202]

underdogus - A pedo just surrendered himself in Ark that cut off his ankle bracelet off and fled from Washington State, he is black. Pedo''s come in different colors, shapes, genders, political backgrounds, age..... You don''t know if your neighbor is one nor do you know if your family members are one. You should never assume they are only white males because you would be wrong!!!

[j-whitman]

That does it, I''ll never sit on Santa''s lap again -- He was a republican

[obamaslady]

" . . and eschewed 9-to-5 jobs in favor of . . ." Boy, I just bet he eschewed 9-5 jobs in favor of going after our children. He should be hung by the b@lls so that no more little boys should ever be TORTURED by him again. Never let him out of prison because you KNOW there is no cure for pedophilea! What a DISPICABLE human being (and I use the term human being very loosely). Throw the key away please. How can anyone even think Corliss only TORTURED children in Thailand - it is not a PLACE that makes a pedophile - it is a pedophile and he could care less where the place is just so he can do his dirt! What a B@STARD! Thank God the police have him now - payback is hell!

[underdogus]

MOST CHILD MOLESTERS ARE WHITE!!!
and I approved this message... posted by usmcvn2