United States Attorney Leura G. Canary Middle District of Alabama

JURY FINDS ENTERPRISE MAN GUILTY ON
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA— A federal grand jury found Gregory James Shiver, age 52, of Enterprise, Alabama, guilty of knowingly possessing child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A, on July 25, 2007, announced U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary. After two full days of trial, it took the jury less than two hours to convict Mr. Shiver on the single count indictment.

The jury’s verdict is the culmination of a search warrant that was executed at Shiver’s home by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 7, 2005. During the course of that search, agents seized Shiver’s home computer. A forensic examination of the computer performed by the United States Postal Inspection Service revealed nearly 300 images of suspected child pornography, as well as hundreds of child pornography websites, stored on the hard drive. The United States Postal Inspector, in cooperation with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, was able to determine that seven of the children depicted in the photographs were known child victims in several other states and countries.

Sentencing in the case has not been set. Because of a prior state court conviction in Coffee County, Shiver faces as much as twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and the remainder of his life on supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In May 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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/.

The investigation was initiated by detectives with the Enterprise Police Department acting in concert with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The trial was presided over by the Honorable L. Scott Coogler, United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathan Stump and Tommie Hardwick prosecuted the case.