Lubbock Man Admits Producing Child Pornography

LUBBOCK, Texas — Nicholas Lee Blair, 31, appeared yesterday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cumming and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of production of child pornography.  Blair, who is in custody, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 15 years or more than 30 years in federal prison, up to a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release.  Judge Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report with a sentencing date to be set after the completion of that report.  The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to the factual resume filed in the case, on or about December 25, 2012, when he resided in Lubbock, Texas, Blair persuaded a minor female, “Jane Doe,” to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he used his cellphone camera, aimed at her while she was in the bathroom of his home, to record a video of her.

The case was 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.”      

The investigation is being conducted by the Lubbock Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.