United States Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña
Northern District of Texas

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO
FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSE

LUBBOCK, Texas — Clifford Ralph Blair, 58, of San Angelo, Texas, pleaded guilty this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to one count of receiving child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Blair, who is on bond, faces a statutory sentence of not less than five years nor more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Judge Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report with sentencing to be set after the completion of that report.

Blair admitted that he downloaded images and videos of child pornography onto his personal computer by using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program.

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 investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Lubbock Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General.

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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