United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FORT WORTH MAN ARRESTED IN UNDERCOVER STING OPERATION
PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

FORT WORTH, Texas — Jackie R. Sowards, 58, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge John McBryde to one count of attempted possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Sowards, who is in federal custody, faces a maximum statutory sentence of not less than 10 years or more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge McBryde on November 25, 2009.

According to documents filed in court, in mid-May 2009, a Postal Inspector working an undercover investigation, mailed a fictitious company’s initial advertisement of child pornography to Sowards at his home address in Fort Worth. Sowards responded by requesting two catalogs that advertised child pornography be mailed to his home address. The Postal Inspector mailed the child pornography catalogs to Sowards and on June 1, 2009, the Inspector received Sowards’order for seven DVDs with an accompanying $375.65 money order.

On July 1, 2009, U.S. Postal Inspectors executed a federal search warrant at Sowards’ residence and he admitted purchasing child pornography and admitted paying for multiple DVDs of child pornography with a money order. The affidavit filed with the criminal complaint states that Sowards told law enforcement that this was his first “slip up” since being on probation from Tarrant County for possession of child pornography. Testimony at Sowards’ probable cause and detention hearing revealed that he admitted he was addicted to child pornography and has been sexually attracted to children for more than 30 years.

This 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

U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the investigative efforts of the USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis is prosecuting the case.

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