United
States Attorney
Northern District of Texas
1100
Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699
Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978
www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn
AMARILLO, TEXAS, MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT TO
POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Amarillo resident, Ronald Frank Chernick, pled guilty this morning in federal court to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Chernick, 57, who has been on bond since his arrest in January, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson on June 11, 2007.
According to documents filed in Court, from 2002 until the time of his arrest, Chernick possessed books, magazines, periodicals, films, videotapes, computer disks depicting child pornography. When federal agents executed a search warrant at his home on January 25, 2007, they discovered Chernick downloading images from the Internet onto his computer. Chernick took one of the agents to a guest bedroom in the home and pointed to a computer on a desk and said “that is where you will find what you are looking for.” Chernick then pulled out three compact disks and told the agent that there were more images on the compact disks. The two disks contained child pornography in the form of approximately 360 videos and more than 600 images.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy L. Drake of the Amarillo, Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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