United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FEDERAL INDICTMENT CHARGES HOWARD COUNTY, TEXAS, MAN
WITH PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

LUBBOCK, Texas — A federal grand jury returned an indictment late Wednesday charging John Alan Conroy, 36, of Big Spring, Texas, with two counts of producing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Conroy has been in custody since his arrest last month on a related charge outlined in a federal criminal complaint.

The indictment alleges that on two occasions on December 27, 2009, Conroy enticed a female child to engage in sexually explicit conduct with him for the purpose of producing a video of that conduct.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, Conroy faces a penalty of not less than 15 years imprisonment, nor more than 30 years imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine per count. In addition, if convicted, Conroy could be ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Big Spring, Texas, Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock, Texas, is in charge of the prosecution.

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