Virginia man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

NORFOLK, Va. - James Eddy, 34, of Chesapeake, Va., pleaded guilty today to one count of possession of child pornography. This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Chesapeake Police Department.

Eddy faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 9, 2011.

According to court documents, Eddy was identified by the Chesapeake Police Department when he was caught filming women at a local tanning salon. A search of Eddy's home resulted in law enforcement seizing his computer. Further analysis of the computer by ICE HSI revealed that Eddy possessed numerous images of child pornography. Special agents with ICE HSI arrested Eddy on a criminal complaint on Jan. 20, 2011.

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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.