FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          CONTACT:  DAVILYN WALSTON
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2008                         PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/txe                                        PHONE: (409) 839-2538
                                                                                                 CELL: (409) 553-9881
                                                                                                    

ORANGE TEXAS MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

            BEAUMONT, TX – United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a 43-year-old Orange, Texas man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography and obstruction of justice in the Eastern District of Texas.

            DWAYNE LEE POTTER was sentenced today by United States District Judge Ron Clark. 

            According to information presented in court, Potter ordered three video tapes that he believed contained minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Potter had responded to an advertisement placed on the Internet by an undercover federal agent.  Potter ordered three videos through the Internet and had them shipped to his residence in Orange.  Following the delivery, a federal search warrant was executed and the videos were recovered at the residence.  Potter admitted to ordering the videos from the computer at his place of employment.  A search of that computer revealed that Potter had attempted to delete incriminating images and files of additional child pornography.  A forensic review of the computer's hard drive led to the recovers of ten additional images of child pornography.

            Potter was indicted on February 8, 2007 and charged with possessing material involving the sexual exploitation of a child and obstruction of justice.  He pleaded guilty to those charges on August 8, 2007.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC).  In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the 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 identify and rescue victims.  For information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

            This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Inspector General's Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.

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