United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

TARRANT COUNTY MAN ARRESTED AND DETAINED
ON FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

Complaint Alleges Defendant Videotaped Himself and 16-Year-Old Victim
During Sexual Encounters

Defendant Had More than 100,000 Images/Videos of Child Pornography

FORT WORTH, Texas — Robert John Devalk, 37, of Saginaw, Texas, was arrested on Friday on a federal criminal complaint charging receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. He appeared this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, who ordered that he remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

According to the affidavit filed with the complaint, on June 24, 2010, a detective with the Saginaw Police Department advised that during an interview, a 16-year-old victim described details of sexual encounters with Devalk that occurred at the defendant’s home. The victim stated that they had sexual intercourse and that during one of the sexual encounters, Devalk video recorded it and stored it on his computer. The victim was aware of the video recording because the victim could see the sexual encounter on the computer screen as it occurred.

On June 25, 2010, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Devalk’s residence in Saginaw, and several items, including Devalk’s computers and related external storage media, were seized. During a preliminary forensic exam of the computers, agents discovered several files containing images of prepubescent males displaying their genitals as well as prepubescent males performing oral and anal sex with adult males.

According to testimony at today’s hearing, the forensic examination of Devalk’s computers revealed at least 100,000 images/videos of child pornography. Law enforcement also testified that there are at least two additional victims, not yet identified, of this defendant.

A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The penalty, however, for receipt of child pornography is a maximum statutory sentence, per count, of not less than five or more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment.

This matter 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 U.S. 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 matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Saginaw Police Department and the Sansom Park Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.

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