Jefferson County Man Indicted on Child Exploitation Charges

BEAUMONT, Texas — A 57-year-old Beaumont, Texas man has been indicted on child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Gary Allen George was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2015 and charged with receiving child pornography, distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to the indictment, an investigation revealed that from Aug. 6, 2014 to Sep. 18, 2014, George is alleged to have received, distributed and possessed files containing images or videos of child pornography on his computer.  At least one of the images involved a minor under the age of 12-years-old engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

George faces a minimum of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison if convicted.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.

It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.