Washington, D.C. - A 43-year-old British citizen, Peter John Miller, has been extradited to the United States to face transportation of child pornography charges brought forth in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor, Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today.

Miller was arraigned on the six-count indictment yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Miller, a resident of London, England was arrested in Thailand and extradited to the United States to faces the charges. Each count carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison with a maximum of 20 years upon conviction. The court has set a detention hearing for Thursday, February 7, 2008.

“Online child predators and purveyors of child pornography are a growing world-wide problem,” stated U.S. Attorney Taylor. “With excellent coordination among our local, federal, and international law enforcement partners, such as we saw in this case, we stand united and ready to prosecute and hold those accountable who seek to harm our children.”

“Today’s announcement of the extradition and indictment of Peter John Miller illustrates the FBI’s continued dedication to protecting the nation’s children and young people from on-line predators and those individuals who manufacture and distribute child pornography,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini. “Together with our law enforcement partners here in the District of Columbia, across the United States and around the world, we pledge our commitment to the safety of our nation’s youth.”

“This is just another great example of the great work of MPD and our law enforcement partners who work around the clock to protect our most vulnerable residents – our children,” stated MPD Chief Lanier.

According to information set forth in court documents, Miller began communicating via the Internet with a Metropolitan Police Detective in November 2006. During the course of their on-line conversations, Miller, whose identity was then unknown, is alleged to have sent images of child pornography to the undercover officer. In December 2006, Miller went to Thailand where he maintained a condominium. He asked the officer to obtain child pornography for him and in return is alleged to have sent two packages containing child pornography from Thailand to an undercover mailbox in the District of Columbia.

The return address on one of the packages was forwarded by the FBI to FBI agents in Thailand and the Royal Thai Police. Royal Thai Police placed the residence under surveillance, identified the occupant as Peter John Miller, a British subject, and obtained a search warrant for the condominium in January 2007, during which a large amount of child pornography was recovered. In the meantime, FBI Agents were contacted in London and law enforcement officials subsequently executed a search warrant at Miller’s residence in January 2007, and recovered additional child pornography as well as materials linking Miller to the undercover officer.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood and the Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

In announcing the extradition and unsealing of the indictment, U.S. Attorney Taylor, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini, and MPD Chief Lanier praised the outstanding work of the Metropolitan Police Department/FBI Task force in this case, in particular Detective Timothy Palchak for his skill and dedication as an undercover officer, and Detectives Jonathan Andrews and Miguel Miranda for their investigative and technical support; FBI Special Agent Jill Blackman who coordinated the investigation involving law enforcement agents in three countries, Special Agent John Young who conducted forensic examinations FBI Legal Attache Special Agent Scott Gicking, London, FBI Agents Robert Burkes and Dan Kelly, Bangkok, the London Metropolitan Police, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre Cambridgeshire Constabulary, the Royal Thai Police and, in particular, Col Jaruvat Vaisaya who led the investigation of Miller that resulted in his arrest, U.S. Embassy Consular Section in Bangkok, Thailand and the Thai Office of the Attorney General, DOJ Legal Advisor Bangkok Christopher Sonderby, and Office of International Affairs Trial Attorney Tru Rowan, and Paralegal Lee Cox. They also thanked Legal Assistants Phaylyn Hunt and Latoya Wade for their administrative support. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stewart, who is prosecuting the case.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.