Wilken ‘pocketed millions’ from child abuse material
Updated | By Masechaba Sefularo
Bail proceedings in the child sexual abuse material case against a Gauteng couple have been postponed to the end of the week.

The state is opposing bail for Darryn Wilken (35) and Tiona Moodley (25) who face a litany of charges related to the discovery of over 10 million images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors.
Wilken and Moodley were arrested last month following an international investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and local authorities.
On Monday the court heard how the investigation into the pair’s suspected activities emanated from a sextortion complaint registered in the United States of America.
“A so-called sextortion matter was reported by an under-aged girl in the United States of America. The sextortion matter was investigated and reported to the FBI. This investigation led the FBI to a website called DankMegas, and applicant one [Wilken] being identified as the administrator of this website,” said state prosecutor Colleen Ryan as she read the investigating officer’s bail statement in court.
Investigators made several undercover purchases of the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) ranging from R500 to R6000.
ALLEGED MONEY LAUNDERING THROUGH SEVERAL ACCOUNTS
While in his bail affidavit, Wilken confirmed he had no formal employment, and said he earned an estimated R50000 a month through selling online content on several websites, the state revealed that between 2023 and 2024 he generated an income of more than R3 million.
The state alleges that a section 205 investigation revealed that both Moodley and Wilken have accounts with several banks in which they received substantial monthly income marked as possible cryptocurrency.
“For the tear 2023 his annual turnover in his FNB premier current account R2 538 095. According to the above the applicants are facing a minimum of 24 counts of money laundering which carry a minimum sentence of 15 years per count. For the period between September and January 2024 the FNB current received a total income of R779 609.”
Moodley told the court that she is unemployed and relies on Wilken for financial support. However, the state has alleged that, through various transactions between the two, Moodley’s bank accounts reflect that between 2023 and 2024 she had an income of nearly R1.5 million.
“The annual credit turnover for 2023 was R420 955. The annual credit turnover for 2024 was R1 254 029. This is a 198% increase from 2023,” Ryan continued.
It’s further alleged that once Moodley received payments via Snapscan and Zapper payments she would transfer the funds to Wilken’s account.
Wilken also allegedly transferred sums of money into his mother’s property business.
TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE AND FLIGHT RISK
According to the state, Moodley’s name appears as the creator and last modifier of an Excel spreadsheet containing the names of several online pornographic packages, ranging from R500 – R1800 and more.
Screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between the accused appear to detail links and passwords to the various websites and storage platforms where the CSAM was allegedly stored and distributed.
While she told the court that she has been cooperating with authorities since Wilken was arrested, the state claims Moodley attempted to destroy some of the evidence linking them to the alleged crimes.
“They are able to destroy evidence that the state has not confiscated. The state was only able to confiscate the exhibits found at the scene. [Moodley] has already attempted to destroy evidence. They simply need a device,that can link them to the internet, to destroy what we are still investigating and finding. They further only need a device that links them to cyberspace to retrieve any cyber currency that the state has not been able to retrieve or block due to the investigations not being completed.”
Furthermore, according to the pairs now deleted social media accounts, they travelled abroad frequently to countries like Thailand which have been flagged for alarming rates of child trafficking and sexual exploitation.
“The applicants have the financial resources to evade trial. This is evidenced by the fact that R647 300 cash was found on their premises. This excludes funds in bankcards that do not belong to them. The applicants are also using cryptocurrency accounts to which we don’t have access and have not been blocked.”
The investigating officer told the court that it was difficult to trace Wilken after searching several addresses and only locating him at the fifth one in Midrand.
“During the arrest of applicant one, he was callous enough to indicate that if he were released on bail, he would conduct as business as he has,” Ryan told the court.
Both Wilken and Moodley said they could afford bail of R5000 each, adding that they intend to plead not guilty to all the charges against them.

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