Abilene Men Face Up to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Prepubescent Child Pornography

ABILENE, Texas — In unrelated cases, two Abilene, Texas, residents, David Scott Fikani, 61, and Michael Cleo Ivy, 36, each appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Scott Frost and pleaded guilty to federal child pornography offenses involving prepubescent minors, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Fikani, who remains on bond, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging possession of prepubescent child pornography.  According to plea documents filed in the case, Fikani used the computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In the course of these searches, Fikani located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.  Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

Ivy, who is also on bond, pleaded guilty to the same offense.  He was indicted in April 2015 on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography.  He, too, used the computer at his residence to search for images and videos of child pornography, and in the course of those searches, he also located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.  Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing dates will be set at a later date.

The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Abilene Police Department investigated both cases.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecutions.

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