Baltimore Man Indicted on Child Exploitation Charges in East Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas — A 35-year-old Baltimore, MD man has been indicted on child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Ian Christian Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 7, 2015 and charged with two counts of enticement of a minor and two counts of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to the indictment, on Feb. 15, 2015 and Mar. 16, 2015, Anderson is alleged to have traveled from Maryland to Lumberton, Texas to engage in sexual conduct with a person he knew to be under the age of 18.

Nelson faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison if convicted of any of the charges.

This case is being prosecuted 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 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.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation the Lumberton Police Department, and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Batte and Christopher T. Tortorice.          

It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.