‘They did porn of the worst kind’
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KISS co-founder Gene Simmons with wife Shannon Tweed on the red carpet last year. Pic: Reed Midem
Source: Supplied
LARGER-than-life KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is helping police track down the person who used his internet connection to download child porn.
And he still doesn’t know if the offender was inside his house, or infiltrated his wireless network from outside.
In an interview promoting the band’s forthcoming Australian tour, Simmons recounted the police search of his Los Angeles mansion last month.
“We came back from hiking and there was a crack taskforce from the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles Police Department, and they asked for permission to come in and search our home, and we said, ‘Sure, why not,’ ” Simmons said.
“So they came in and searched all over the place, and then two or three hours later we all sat down.
“What happened was, we were off on tour about a year ago, and somehow our (internet connection) was used by some very bad people to do porn of a certain kind — the worst kind.
Gene Simmons with wife Shannon and children Nick and Sophie attend the “Music on a Mission” benefit concert in Hollywood last month. Pic: Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP
Source: AP
“So they checked the records, found out that I was on the east coast of America — they deemed that from there you couldn’t do that — our kids were off in Canada, (wife) Shannon was outside the country …
“They’re (police) on the trail, and we’re actually helping the FBI and the cops track down the bad guy.”
Despite not being a person of interest, Simmons has been unfairly portrayed in some sectors of the media.
“Part and parcel of being a celebrity is, some media, the irresponsible ones, will go for stuff that’s just not true, because it sells papers,” Simmons said.
“But if you go to YouTube, put in ‘CBS police search Gene Simmons home’ you’ll get the full thing. They’ll show the police department saying we’re not persons of interest or suspects, and that we’re helping them with their investigation.”
PORN PROBE: Gene Simmons’ house searched
As for whether the offender physically accessed his house, Simmons said: “They’re (police) not sure. Because you can be right outside of somebody’s home — I’m finding out — and if you have the (network) information you can actually do stuff right outside the home, like on the street.
Thanks for your support. We couldn’t be more horrified that someone used our residence for such heinous crimes. Law enforcement is on it.
— Mrs ShannonTSimmons (@shannonleetweed) August 21, 2015
Goodnight and don’t forget to change your passwords!!
— Mrs ShannonTSimmons (@shannonleetweed) August 21, 2015
“I have no idea (if the offender infiltrated his wi-fi), I’m certainly the last person to understand that stuff. But they have to be in the area, either inside the home or one of the people coming to clean — we have people coming into the house all the time; food deliveries, workmen — or they were nearby.”
Gene Simmons on stage with KISS. The band tour Australia next month.
Source: Supplied
While Simmons openly admits his lack of tech savvy, he has taken steps to beef up his internet security: “Oh sure. The FBI came and helped us put in a firewall, whatever the hell that is.”
KISS play Perth Arena October 3, Adelaide Entertainment Centre October 6, Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne) October 8-9, Allphones Arena (Sydney) October 10, Newcastle Entertainment Centre October 12, Brisbane Entertainment Centre October 13
WSJ Exclusive: ’4th and Loud’ TV Clip
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Watch a clip from AMC’s forthcoming reality series 4th and Loud, which follows KISS rockers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as they launch a new Arena Football League team, L.A. Kiss.
Stalking Cyber Paedophiles
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This investigation examines how children overseas are exploited when Western child sex predators lurk online.
Originally published as ‘They did porn of the worst kind’
www.news.com.au/entertainment/music
