Convicted sex offender faces federal child pornography charges in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. - A man who has a prior conviction for sexually abusing a minor was arraigned Thursday in federal court after being indicted on one count of distributing child pornography. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Kenneth Robert McVicker III, 46, entered a not-guilty plea, and was detained pending trial on May 24 before U.S. District Judge James A. Redden. ICE HSI agents took custody of McVicker Wednesday in the Central American country of Belize.
"The allegations against this defendant are very serious," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE HSI office in Oregon. "This case demonstrates HSI's global commitment to protecting the innocence of the world's children while ensuring that American child predators face justice in the United States."
"Child pornography victimizes children over and over again - starting with the initial assault, and continuing everyday for victims of this terrible trade," stated Dwight Holton, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. "And this lifetime of victimization is why we will pursue criminals who deal in child pornography around the world to bring them to justice."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman, District of Oregon, is prosecuting this case. An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.
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