United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

MONDAY, AUAGUST 30, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS FARMERS BRANCH, TEXAS, MAN, WHO HAD
ABSCONDED TO MEXICO, ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

Defendant Faces Up to 20 Years in Federal Prison

DALLAS — Following a one-day trial before U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, a federal jury deliberated less than 15 minutes late Friday afternoon before convicting Tommy Dale Daniel, 62, on both counts of an indictment charging possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Daniel faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for December 9, 2010.

In April 2007, a federal grand jury in Dallas returned a one-count indictment against Daniel charging him with possession of child pornography. An arrest warrant was issued but case agents learned that Daniel had sold his house, forwarded his mail and absconded. Nearly three years later, in March 2010, Daniel crossed the border from Mexico to San Ysidro, California. After advising Border Patrol agents about a possible outstanding warrant, Daniel was arrested and transported to the Northern District of Texas. The government later superseded the indictment by adding a second count of possession of child pornography and a notice of forfeiture. The government presented testimony at trial that when Daniel returned to the U.S., he told agents that he’d rather be in prison than in Mexico.

The government presented further evidence at trial that in late May 2006, while executing a search warrant in a computer-related investigation at Daniel’s home in Farmers Branch, Texas, a detective with the Fort Worth Police Department discovered images of child pornography. The detective seized several computers from Daniel and, after a forensic examination, determined that Daniel had more than 700 images of child pornography on his hard drives.

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 the Fort Worth Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aisha Saleem and Jason Schall are prosecuting the case.

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