Former TSA Agent Charged with Production of Child Pornography

HOUSTON – A 27-year-old man from the North Houston area appeared in federal court this morning on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Christopher Lynn Persky was arrested over the weekend upon the filing of a federal criminal complaint alleging he produced child pornography.

This morning, Persky made an initial appearance before U.S. District Judge Mary Milloy, at which time he was ordered temporarily into custody pending a probable cause and detention hearing set for Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, at 10:00 a.m.

Court documents allege that Persky claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security – Transportation Security Administration (TSA). At the hearing today, Persky told the court he has now been fired.

According to the allegations, an individual identified online as CHRISPYTWEAK had sent images of child erotica to an undercover agent using the chat feature on a known child pornography site. At that time, Persky provided his full name and further claimed to work for TSA, according to the complaint.

The charges allege that he took sexually explicit photographs of a minor male under the age of five. According to the complaint, Persky took the images and was to send them to another individual with whom he was communicating in exchange for more images of child pornography.

The criminal complaint further alleges that while at his previous residence in Spring, Persky allegedly took partially nude images of a minor relative’s female friend while she was sleeping. Persky also allegedly took photos of a female relative as she was getting out of the shower to show to his online child pornography community.

If convicted, Persky faces a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison.

The charges are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Zack and Kim Leo, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.