NEWARK, N.J. — A rare international alert seeking a man shown in dozens of raw child porn images quickly led to the arrest of Wayne Nelson Corliss, a small-time actor, who painted faces at children's parties and performed as Santa Claus.
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 abused at least three boys thought to have been 6 to 10 years old, according to the international police agency.
Mr. 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.
Judy Stone, a neighbor who worked with Mr. Corliss, who acted under the stage name Casey Wayne, as an entertainer, said he did a wonderful job. "I've never seen him act in a way that was creepy or predatory toward children," Ms. Stone said.
