News Releases and Statements

Saidou A. Dia, 46, of St. Louis, was sentenced Nov. 10 in the Eastern District of Missouri by U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton. Dia pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of copyright infringement and one felony count of failure to register as a sex offender.

A San Juan resident, Zairo Ramos, was found guilty in federal court Tuesday of production of child pornography following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). From May through June 2010, Ramos induced a female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing still and video images...

Aaron P. Winchester, 36, of Wildwood, faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison, up to a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Robert J. Fortier of Rogers, Ark., was sentenced to 25 years in prison for production of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Rogers Police Department. The defendant used his cell phone to capture images of a minor posed in sexually explicit ways and in various stages of undress.

Law enforcement agencies across the globe work tirelessly to end child exploitation, but they can't do it alone. They rely on assistance from private sector companies to successfully accomplish their mission.

David B. Twitty, 64, of Hyattsville, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus. Judge Titus also ordered that upon his release from prison, Twitty must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Jeffrey Price, 47, of Riverton, Ill., was convicted Nov. 4 by a federal jury, after two hours of deliberation, on one count of producing and one count of possessing child pornography. He was indicted in November 2009 following his arrest on Oct. 22, 2009 on a federal criminal complaint.

Gregory Lynn Garner, 40, admitted at his hearing to transferring obscene material between Feb. 23 and March 10. The obscene material consisted of images of his genitalia and him engaging in sexual acts with an adult. Garner was arrested on a federal indictment on July 29 after surrendering to authorities with the assistance of his attorney.

Robert Davis Williams, 45, pleaded guilty on March 14.

Wesley William Brandt was sentenced to 90 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. This sentence is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).He threatened and coerced a 13-year-old girl from Colorado online to produce sexually explicit photographs of herself and her sister.

Bobby Cruz was arrested Tuesday and charged with transporting child pornography via computer after federal agents searched his residence and found images of alleged child pornography. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Adam Hammond of Climax Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to producing child pornography and enticing a minor for illicit sex.

David Runnion, a former conductor of the Vermont Windham Orchestra who also served as a part-time music teacher at Brattleboro High School, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. These charges were the result of an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Patricia Ann Tasker, of Hagerstown, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson on Nov. 2 to 42 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Nickerson also ordered that upon her release from prison, Tasker must register as a sex offender in the place where she resides, where she is an employee, and where she is a student, under SORNA.

Steven Eric Locher of Chatham, Ontario, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to travel to the United States to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

An upstate New York man was sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. The sentence is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The investigation on Peter Kingman Lindsley, 49, began when the Beaumont Police Department, using peer-to-peer software, discovered a computer IP address registered to Peter K. Lindsley of the 1400 block of Richmond Avenue in Houston.

David Lorow, 51, of Hornell, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. According to court documents, Lorow downloaded and shared child pornography using file-sharing software. The images stored on his computer depicted minors under the age of 12.

Jose Ciro Juarez-Santamaria, an El Salvadoran national and MS-13 gang member, was sentenced to life in prison for prostituting a 12-year-old female to clients throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The sentence was the result of investigative work by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Gang Unit with assistance from...

The Internet has made child exploitation a crime that knows no borders. That's why the Virtual Global Taskforce was formed. The taskforce is an alliance of international law enforcement agencies - with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) serving as the only American member - and private sector partners.

A former teacher at John Adams Elementary School, Justin Coleman of Falls Church, Va., was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing videos of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with two unaware prepubescent females.

The investigation on Armando Ruben Avila, 48, began when ICE HSI agents received information regarding a commercial child pornography website. Agents determined that the company is a pay-for-access commercial website that offers child pornography in various media formats, including still images, and VHS and DVD videos.

Michael Strausbaugh, 30, and his wife Rebecca Strausbaugh, 31, were both charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Michael Strausbaugh was also charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.

The guilty plea by Theodore Briggs, also known as "PeeJaye," 23, of Norwalk, Conn., was announced by Fein, who credited HSI and the Norwalk Police Department with bringing Briggs to justice.

Jeffrey Wayne Day of Dallas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography. In March 2011 a search warrant was executed at Day's residence and a forensic examination of the computer equipment seized revealed more than 20,000 images and videos of child pornography.