United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

GARLAND, TEXAS, MAN REMANDED INTO FEDERAL CUSTODY
AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

Defendant Lived in Home Where His Mother Ran a Child Care Business

DALLAS — Jason Wayne Childs, 23, of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Childs faces a maximum statutory sentence of not less than five or more than 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal. Sentencing is set for July 22, 2010.

According to documents filed in the case, Childs admitted using the Internet and peer-to-peer software (P2P) to download child pornography.

In late December 2009, a Plano, Texas, detective, operating in an undercover capacity, was attempting to identify computers using P2P software to distribute child pornography over the Internet. He located a computer that offered to share 21 files with other users on the Limewire network. The majority of files on the file transfer list, identified with an IP address that belonged to Childs, had naming conventions and file descriptions were suggestive of child pornography. Using P2P, the detective downloaded several files of child pornography.

Shortly thereafter, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Childs’ residence in Garland. While being interviewed by law enforcement, he admitted living with his mother at the residence and helping her with a child care business she runs from the house. Childs further admitted downloading child pornography of images of children ages five to 17 since December 2008 and allowing sharing from his computer.

His computer equipment was seized and a forensic examination revealed several files containing child pornography, with some of the images and videos of children under age 12.

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 D epartment 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 is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and the Garland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.

###