United States Attorney John M. Bales
Eastern District of Texas

DENTON MAN INDICTED BY FEDERAL GRAND JURY FOR
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY VIOLATIONS

            PLANO, Texas — A federal grand jury has indicted a 54-year-old Denton, Texas man for possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

            Philip Baker was indicted on Aug. 19, 2010, and charged with advertising and receiving child pornography and had previously been indicted on charges of transportation of child pornography.  Baker had previously appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amos J. Mazzant and has been in custody since May 2010.

            This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

            If convicted, Baker faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the advertising charge and up to 20 years each for the receipt and transportation charges.

            This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Griffith.
        

            It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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