FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885
DECEMBER 8, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PENNSYLVANIA MAN CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY EXPLOITING MINORS
TO PRODUCE CHILD PORN PICTURES
Defendant Faces Mandatory Life in Prison
BALTIMORE, Maryland - United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein announces that today a federal jury convicted James A. Reigle, Jr., age 46, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania of conspiracy to transport, ship, and possess child pornography, sexually exploiting minors to produce child pornography, transportation and shipment of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, “The evidence demonstrated that Mr. Reigle befriended children and then betrayed them and their families by sexually abusing them and producing child pornography. The jury appropriately evaluated the evidence and held Mr. Reigle accountable for his reprehensible conduct. Under federal law, Mr. Reigle will spend the rest of his life in prison."
According to evidence established at trial, between 1998 and September 2002, Reigle developed relationships with several minor males and took pictures of them engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Reigle, an avid Internet user, developed a relationship with a Montana man he met in a chat room known as “littleboysexpics.” The two formed a close friendship and traded pictures with each other from their child pornography collection.
The evidence showed that in 2002, Reigle was sentenced by a U.S. District Judge in Harrisburg, to a 37 month federal prison term for possession of child pornography – that same year, a state judge in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania sentenced Reigle to a concurrent sentence for sexually molesting a Harrisburg boy.
Witnesses testified that shortly after he reported to federal prison on September 23, 2002, Reigle contacted a co-conspirator from Montana and asked him to take possession of his collection of child pornography and keep custody of it until Reigle was released from prison. Thereafter, the Montana co-conspirator, who was a cross-country tractor trailer driver, kept the collection with him at all times during his travels, including two trips that took him through Maryland. Additionally, Reigle transported those images through the Internet.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Reigle has been convicted on three previous occasions in Pennsylvania state courts of offenses relating to the sexual molestation of children. His 2002 federal conviction for possession of child pornography was his fourth conviction for a child sexual exploitation offense.
Due to his prior record of convictions, Reigle faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for the production of child pornography convictions. Additionally, because of his previous record, he faces a minimum of 15 years and up to a maximum of 40 years in jail, for the conspiracy, and for the transportation of pictures of child pornography. Finally, he faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. There is a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count of conviction. U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis set sentencing for February 17, 2006 at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Baltimore Police Department for the investigative work they performed as part of the Innocent Images Task Force. Mr. Rosenstein praised Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew G. W. Norman and Jonathan Mastrangelo, who are prosecuting the case.
This page last modified—January 31, 2006