Delaware man indicted on child pornography charges

WILMINGTON, Del. - A Delaware man has been has been charged with one count each of transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography, as outlined in an indictment by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Harold Love Springer III, 73, of Wilmington, Del. was identified during an online investigation into a computer network devoted to trading images of child pornography. An undercover HSI agent observed approximately 2,000 files depicting child pornography that Springer had made available to network members. The agent also downloaded 92 files depicting child pornography. On July 13, 2011, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Springer's Wilmington residence and seized computer equipment.

"HSI will continue its relentless pursuit of online predators," said John P. Kelleghan, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Philadelphia. "These reprehensible crimes deprive our children of their innocence and impact their lives for a long time."

If convicted, Springer could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a lifetime of supervised release upon the completion of any prison sentence.

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-2-ICE. 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.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.