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Press Release

Big Spring Man Admits Possessing Child Pornography

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

LUBBOCK, Texas — Jacob Ray Albarado, 20, of Big Spring, Texas, appeared in federal court in Lubbock today, before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Albarado has been in custody since his arrest in March 2013. Judge Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report with a sentencing date to be set after the completion of that report. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, after befriending a minor female (Jane Doe), Albarado communicated with her through the use of his cell phone for more than one year. In late 2012, Jane Doe began a dating relationship with Albarado and ran away from her home to his apartment in Big Spring. Albarado and Jane Doe agreed to produce a video depicting the two of them engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Albarado then held Jane Doe’s cell phone and produced a video of her while she engaged in sexually explicit conduct with Albarado.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Big Spring Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.

Updated June 22, 2015