I think that in general (and this is from personal experience), there tends to develop this tightly knit group of mods who may or may not know each other in real life.
If for example a group of people know each other from a forum's inception, or they have met at a trade show or work within the industry, there's a deeper bond. This bond creates a kind of "bubble" where you're looking at the forum as this separate entity that all of your buddies have to manage.
The trouble with that scenario is the reality of the situation. People who met you at a trade show or who work for Ubisoft or whatever are just regular people. It doesn't matter that they make $100,000 a year or helped you code the site, or that you drank a beer with them in Austin, Texas one time. They're still just a bunch of 20-30 somethings that registered for a forum and got an account.
They have real lives, and life can impose quite a strain on you. I joined Teamxbox in 2001 and watched that place move from THE thriving place to discuss Xbox news to a cesspool of bots and troll posts. Over the course of my time there, I started and finished college. Then I started posting here. Over the course of my time here, I worked in retail for 10 years, went back to college and became a teacher where I am today. I didn't commit any crimes, do any drugs that weren't prescribed to me, but I did experience the very depths of depression and sadness over my life.
In my time here, I have watched people threaten suicide, confess to drug abuse, and pour their hearts out over absolutely horrible, tragic situations that affect them. There are people here I'm sure I would make friends with if I knew them, but I'm sure there are people here that I would absolutely despise if I knew them, even if we agree on message board discussions.
So I guess what I'm saying is that message board users should avoid becoming so chummy with their fellow posters that they start regarding them as real friends. They're usernames with avatars that post opinions, and those might not even be their real opinions.
What is the likelihood that among Neogaf's thousands of members, there exists at least one more person who has possession of child pornography? I'd say 100%.
Put your trust in the people you can shake hands with on a daily basis, and whose word can be tested time and time again.