Jacob Walden, co-owner of Woodmere-based Emerald Healthcare, indicted on child porn charges
The Alfonse M. D'Amato United States Courthouse in Central Islip. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
A health care company executive from Valley Stream has been indicted on child pornography charges and remanded to a federal jail Wednesday.
Jacob Walden, 38, pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment charging him with sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography, at his arraignment Wednesday in federal court in Central Islip.
Walden is co-owner and executive of Woodmere-based Emerald Healthcare, a company that manages nursing and assisted living facilities across the country.
"As alleged, the defendant enticed minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet in exchange for payment," interim U.S. Attorney John Durham, of the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. "Protecting children from predators who sexually exploit them will always be a priority of my Office."
Prosecutors said Walden purchased child sexual abuse material multiple times from a large-scale production and distribution ring.
Prosecutors said they found 500 photos and 5,000 videos depicting child pornography on Walden's phone.
Walden also used social media and encrypted messaging services to chat online in sexually explicit conversations with minors, during which he allegedly enticed minors to make sexual images of themselves, prosecutors said.
Walden "insisted that he be addressed as ‘daddy,’ ” prosecutors said, and gave the minors instructions such as "take off your top," prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutor Leonid Sandlar, a trial attorney, argued that Walden, who had been on home detention since his July 31 arrest on one count of child pornography possession, should be remanded in light of the upgraded charges contained in the indictment and because he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
"During the investigation, law enforcement also identified at least 11 minor female victims, ages 14 to 17 years old, whom Walden contacted, paid, and enticed or attempted to entice to produce [child sexual abuse material] via social media from at least 2020 to 2024," Sandlar wrote in a detention letter to the judge. "As it relates to the enticement of minors, the defendant engaged in a multiyear effort from at least 2020 to 2024 to contact at least 11 minors for the purpose of obtaining child sexual abuse material upon his request and/or payment. Walden has also shown a high degree of motivation in building his collection of child pornography via purchase from online producers and distributors."
Walden's attorney Benjamin Brafman asked for Walden to remain on house arrest and for the judge to increase his bail, even putting his family's home up as collateral.
Brafman called the suggestion that Walden is a flight-risk "absurd," citing his presence in court knowing that prosecutors were seeking his detainment.
Brafman argued that placing him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which does not have sex offender treatment programs, would disrupt the therapy treatment he's been receiving.
Brafman also told the judge that Walden's wife, with whom he shares five children, and rabbi were in court to support him, as well as several other family members.
The allegations against Walden have "humiliated him," said Brafman, noting that his client "demonstrates very serious remorse" and is being closely monitored by the court.
Brafman said he and co-counsel Saul Bienenfeld have not received any discovery materials from the prosecution and haven't determined whether they will seek a plea agreement or go to trial.
Walden has post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of being sexually abused when he was a minor, Brafman said. "Part of his compulsion arises from the fact that he himself was abused for years as a child," said Brafman.
But U.S. District Judge Gary Brown, who took an approximately 10-minute recess to make a final decision after listening to an hour of arguments from both sides, said he could not ignore the "paramount" issue of community safety.
The judge cited Walden's "extraordinarily troubling behavior" while on home detention, including an attempt at "buying sex" from someone online.
"The defendant is a person of substantial means ... you would think that the specter and experience of a federal arrest on a child pornography charge would have been enough to knock it off," said Brown, referring to when Walden was first arrested.
After the judge ruled, but before Walden was removed from the courtroom by U.S. marshals, he was permitted to hug an unidentified woman, who sobbed loudly before one of the marshals told Walden: "OK, we gotta go. Sorry."
When asked by a Newsday reporter if she was his wife, the woman hissed: "How dare you!"
Walden's family declined to comment.
A health care company executive from Valley Stream has been indicted on child pornography charges and remanded to a federal jail Wednesday.
Jacob Walden, 38, pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment charging him with sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography, at his arraignment Wednesday in federal court in Central Islip.
Walden is co-owner and executive of Woodmere-based Emerald Healthcare, a company that manages nursing and assisted living facilities across the country.
"As alleged, the defendant enticed minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet in exchange for payment," interim U.S. Attorney John Durham, of the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. "Protecting children from predators who sexually exploit them will always be a priority of my Office."
Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District John J. Durham. Credit: EDNY
Prosecutors said Walden purchased child sexual abuse material multiple times from a large-scale production and distribution ring.
Prosecutors said they found 500 photos and 5,000 videos depicting child pornography on Walden's phone.
Walden also used social media and encrypted messaging services to chat online in sexually explicit conversations with minors, during which he allegedly enticed minors to make sexual images of themselves, prosecutors said.
Walden "insisted that he be addressed as ‘daddy,’ ” prosecutors said, and gave the minors instructions such as "take off your top," prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutor Leonid Sandlar, a trial attorney, argued that Walden, who had been on home detention since his July 31 arrest on one count of child pornography possession, should be remanded in light of the upgraded charges contained in the indictment and because he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
"During the investigation, law enforcement also identified at least 11 minor female victims, ages 14 to 17 years old, whom Walden contacted, paid, and enticed or attempted to entice to produce [child sexual abuse material] via social media from at least 2020 to 2024," Sandlar wrote in a detention letter to the judge. "As it relates to the enticement of minors, the defendant engaged in a multiyear effort from at least 2020 to 2024 to contact at least 11 minors for the purpose of obtaining child sexual abuse material upon his request and/or payment. Walden has also shown a high degree of motivation in building his collection of child pornography via purchase from online producers and distributors."
Walden's attorney Benjamin Brafman asked for Walden to remain on house arrest and for the judge to increase his bail, even putting his family's home up as collateral.
Brafman called the suggestion that Walden is a flight-risk "absurd," citing his presence in court knowing that prosecutors were seeking his detainment.
Brafman argued that placing him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which does not have sex offender treatment programs, would disrupt the therapy treatment he's been receiving.
Brafman also told the judge that Walden's wife, with whom he shares five children, and rabbi were in court to support him, as well as several other family members.
The allegations against Walden have "humiliated him," said Brafman, noting that his client "demonstrates very serious remorse" and is being closely monitored by the court.
Brafman said he and co-counsel Saul Bienenfeld have not received any discovery materials from the prosecution and haven't determined whether they will seek a plea agreement or go to trial.
Walden has post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of being sexually abused when he was a minor, Brafman said. "Part of his compulsion arises from the fact that he himself was abused for years as a child," said Brafman.
But U.S. District Judge Gary Brown, who took an approximately 10-minute recess to make a final decision after listening to an hour of arguments from both sides, said he could not ignore the "paramount" issue of community safety.
The judge cited Walden's "extraordinarily troubling behavior" while on home detention, including an attempt at "buying sex" from someone online.
"The defendant is a person of substantial means ... you would think that the specter and experience of a federal arrest on a child pornography charge would have been enough to knock it off," said Brown, referring to when Walden was first arrested.
After the judge ruled, but before Walden was removed from the courtroom by U.S. marshals, he was permitted to hug an unidentified woman, who sobbed loudly before one of the marshals told Walden: "OK, we gotta go. Sorry."
When asked by a Newsday reporter if she was his wife, the woman hissed: "How dare you!"
Walden's family declined to comment.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
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