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Press Release

Federal Judge Finds Tuscaloosa County Man Guilty Of Sexual Exploitation Of A Child And Possessing Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA – A federal judge today found a Tuscaloosa County man guilty of sexually exploiting a child and possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Schwein Jr. and Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Billy Sharp.

U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler found MURRY MALONE BAILEY, 63, guilty on four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possessing child pornography. The case was tried without a jury before Judge Coogler at the request of the defense.

Evidence at trial showed that on four occasions Bailey induced the child victim, who was 15 years old, to engage in sexually explicit conduct so he could produce video images. For example, the child victim testified about how Bailey coerced and induced her into performing the sexual conduct in a specific room of his home, and the evidence showed how the defendant mounted a camera to record that conduct. Other evidence showed Bailey making sexually explicit comments about what sexual acts he intended to do to the child victim.

No sentencing date has been set.

The maximum penalty for sexually exploiting a child is 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, for each count, and carries a statutory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. The maximum penalty for possessing child pornography is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Office, the Tuscaloosa Police Department, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Fortune and Amanda Wick prosecuted the case.


Updated March 19, 2015