News Releases and Statements

Nathan R. Tauck, 25, of Rockford, was charged with one count of enticing and coercing a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct, exhibiting the minor’s genitals and pubic area for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the sexually explicit conduct; and four counts of transporting child pornography via the Internet.

Winston Enrique Perez Pilarte aka Josue Duran-Cortes, 40, was arrested and charged by the Philadelphia Police Department with attempted rape, unlawful sexual contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful restraint, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors, indecent assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Lucas Aronson, 31, of Alexandria, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, register as a sex offender upon release from prison and pay a total of $20,000 in restitution to his victims.

Robert Ruben Ornelas, 65, of Santa Ana, a onetime school teacher and girls’ softball coach, was found guilty Thursday of seven counts – two counts of engaging in sexual conduct in a foreign place, three counts of producing child pornography, and two counts of possessing child pornography.

If convicted, Grant Harris, age 34, Harris faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

Allan Ebel, 63, pleaded guilty in August admitting to downloading images of child pornography from a Switzerland-based website on at least six occasions in August 2014. 

Albert Lee Mitchell appeared before U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. The case stems from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jason Michael Ehret, 44, an active-duty Marine Corps major serving as an aviation flight instructor, pleaded guilty to the charges Nov. 15.

Victor Larry Lee Wright, 33, pleaded guilty in August admitting he videotaped his molestation of a 7-year-old child. According to court records, Wright then distributed those images to an undercover HSI special agent via a peer-to-peer file sharing program. 

During a search for evidence, Ruger is led by his handler and uses his sense of smell to locate electronic devices. He ‘indicates’ he has found something by sitting down. Amazingly, he is able to find the exact location of electronic equipment. He is also able to indicate where equipment was previously. He is awarded with his favorite treat: a yellow tennis ball.

Richard S. Buffham, 49, of Oswego, New York, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue. Buffham, who was ordered detained pending sentencing, faces a minimum sentence at least five years and up to 20 years imprisonment on each of the distribution counts.

Stephen Roy Walker, 43, pleaded guilty Aug. 4, admitting to transporting 462 digital images and 42 digital videos containing child pornography from Texas to Idaho. 

Michael Quinn, 33, of Melbourne, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter. Quinn was arrested May 21 by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) when he arrived at a Los Angeles-area hotel to buy a 6-year-old boy for sex.

Calvin Bernhardt, 54, of Tuttle, North Dakota, was found guilty, following a four-day trial, on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted receipt of materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, counterfeit currency, tampering with witness or evidence, and attempted travel with intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor.

James Jeffrey Schroeder, 50, of Arlington, a former teacher’s assistant at Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas, pleaded guilty today to charges of receiving and downloading child pornography.

If convicted, Jeffrey Curtis Drexler, 27, faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a 10-year minimum mandatory term of incarceration, a $250,000 fine, five years up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

HSI special agents in the United States traced this Kik screen name to Jason Marc Janatsch, 26, of Oklahoma City, who worked at a local daycare center.

Matthew Anthony Keller, 24, of Watauga, Texas, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Keller has been in custody since his arrest in July 2016 on a related federal complaint.

Angelo Harper Jr., 21, was sentenced Monday to 235 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner. Harper was convicted of advertising child pornography after a trial in July. He also pleaded guilty in July to distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Robert Blaine Harris, 50, of Fort Worth, has been in custody since his arrest in January 2016.

According to the facts presented at trial, between September and December 2013, Rande Brian Isabella, 59, of Hubbard, Ohio, communicated via phone and online with a 14-year-old girl in Colorado.