Registered Sex Offender Arrested on Federal Charges

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Clay C. Keys, 52, of Pensacola, was arrested late yesterday afternoon on federal charges regarding the distribution of child pornography, the possession of child pornography and the possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.  The arrest was announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, and results from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pensacola Police Department. 

Mr. Keys, who is a registered sexual offender in the state of Florida, made his initial appearance in federal court this morning.  He will be detained pending his next court appearance, now scheduled for September 3, 2013.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 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, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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 case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg of the Northern District of Florida.

Keys was taken into custody pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by United States Magistrate Judge Charles J. Kahn, Jr. An arrest warrant is merely a finding of probable cause by the Court that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial in a court of law.