Fritch Man Admits Transporting Approximately 2,300 Images of Child Pornography

AMARILLO, Texas — Kelly Neil Black, 24, of Fritch, Texas, appeared today in federal court before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater and pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Black, who has been in custody since the time of indictment in March 2017, faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for October 23, 2017.

According to documents filed in the case, on September 22, 2016, a search warrant was executed at Black’s residence in Fritch, Texas. Law enforcement located several items that contained child pornography. A forensic examination later revealed that the items seized by law enforcement contained approximately 2,300 images that had been previously identified as known images containing child pornography.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Rangers, Hutchinson County Sheriff’s Office and the Potter County Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is in charge of the prosecution.

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