James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS, MAN ADMITS PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

LUBBOCK, Texas — In federal court in Lubbock today, before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, Jason Segura, 23, of San Angelo, Texas, pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Segura has been in federal custody since his arrest in November 2008 on related charges outlined in a federal criminal complaint. Segura was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of production of child pornography.

Segura faces a statutory sentence of not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be required to register as a sex offender. Judge Cummings ordered a pre-sentence investigation with the sentencing date to be scheduled after that investigation is completed.

In documents filed in court, Segura admitted that on November 16, 2008, he used the camera in his cell phone to take three images of a prepubescent female child engaged in sexually explicit conduct with him.

The case was brought 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

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), San Angelo, Texas, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office.

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