HOUSTON - Bernard Albina, 73, of Houston, has entered a guilty plea to possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

Arrested on the federal charges on Jan. 23, 2012, Albina was ordered into custody after the court heard evidence regarding the investigation and charges. At that time, the judge found Albina to be a danger to the community and that due to his considerable assets and possible links to Lebanon, he was a flight risk.

Albina admitted today that from at least January 2003 he inappropriately associated with several young boys. During this time, he admitted he photographed two of those boys and the pictures displayed their genitals in a lascivious exhibition. 

In July 2009, search warrants were executed at several locations associated with Albina which resulted in the discovery of numerous items including CDs, DVDs, video tapes and printed images found to include child pornography. Today, Albina admitted to possessing a total  of 10 videos and 326 images containing child pornography.

As part of the plea agreement, Albina will serve the maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. He will pay a $75,000 fine. Formal sentencing is set for March 12, 2013. He will remain in custody until that time.

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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

The charges against Albina are the result of an investigation conducted by the Houston Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack.