UNITED STATES ATTORNEY JOYCE WHITE VANCE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			CONTACT: PEGGY SANFORD
	OCTOBER 30, 2009			PHONE: (205) 244-2020
	www.usdoj.gov/usao/aln			FAX: (205) 244-2171

SHELBY COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO THE PRODUCTION AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

            BIRMINGHAM, AL - Oscar Coplen Rast, Jr., 54, pleaded guilty today to two counts of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance announced.

            According to the indictment and plea agreement, Rast, using a digital camera, enticed an 11-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct so he could record it.  The conduct occurred in Shelby County, Alabama, during August 2008.  Rast also possessed other images of child pornography.

            According to the plea agreement, both the prosecution and the defense will request that the court sentence the defendant to 20 years in federal prison, to be followed by a life term of federal supervised release.  No sentencing date has been set.

            “Individuals that produce child pornography victimize innocent children when they manipulate them to create pictures for their own gratification.  They re-victimize the children by selling or sharing the images with other pedophiles.  The law condemns this conduct and we enforce the law to its fullest extent,” Vance said. “Convicted producers of child pornography will serve a significant portion, if not all, of the remainder of their natural life in federal custody or under federal supervision.”

            The case was investigated by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Montevallo Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Fortune is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.                                                                                                                                       
           
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