United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER IN MINERAL WELLS, TEXAS,
ARRESTED AND DETAINED ON FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

FORT WORTH, Texas — Anthony R. Sherley, 41, of Mineral Wells, Texas, was arrested this week on a federal criminal complaint charging distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Following a detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton ordered that Sherley remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

The investigation revealed that Sherley using AOL to discuss and exchange images of child pornography of children under the age of six, engaged in distributing child pornography. Further investigation revealed that Sherley was a convicted sex offender who had served 10 years in prison for an indecency with a child conviction in 1998. When a federal search warrant was executed at Sherley’s residence in Mineral Wells, agents located a collection of printed child pornography images and printed sex stories involving sex acts with prepubescent females.

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. If convicted of this offense, however, Sherley faces a statutory sentence of not less than 15 years or more than 40 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. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Dallas ICAC. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.

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