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

KELLER, TEXAS, MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO
FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSE

FORT WORTH, Texas — Christopher D. Sullivan, of Keller, Texas, pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Bleil in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, to one count of possession of child pornography, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Sullivan, 48, who has been on personal recognizance bond, was remanded into custody after today's guilty plea. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, restitution, and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for August 12, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

According to documents filed in the case, on May 10, 2008, a U.S. Postal Inspector visited the Sullivan residence, based on a lead from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Washington, D.C. The lead concerned a target at the Sullivan residence, who was purchasing subscriptions to a child pornography website via the Internet.

Sullivan allowed U.S. Postal Inspectors to search his computer and they discovered child pornography. Sullivan admitted that he knowingly possessed and acquired the video and images of child pornography from the Internet. He admitted an attraction to young females ranging in age from 12 to 15, and admitted that most of the child pornography in his collection would be of children in that age range engaged in sexual acts or performances.

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

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis.

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