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Press Release

Oregon Pastor Indicted for Producing and Transporting Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

An Oregon man made his initial appearance in Denver for production and transportation of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer of the District of Colorado.

James Parkhurst, 56, of Portland, Oregon, was arrested in Oregon on Aug. 2, 2016, on a federal criminal complaint charging one count of production of child pornography.  He was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Colorado on Aug. 23, 2016, and appeared yesterday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

According to the indictment, Parkhurst, a pastor, produced images of child pornography in August 2010 and then transported those images using a means of interstate commerce.    

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case with assistance from investigative analysts in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section’s (CEOS) High Technology Investigative Unit.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Oregon also provided assistance in the investigation.  CEOS Trial Attorney Herbrina D. Sanders and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts of the District of Colorado are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.

Updated September 13, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood
Press Release Number: 16-1042