PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD MAKES A MARK IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

BIRMINGHAM, AL - In February 2006, United States Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.

Today in United States District Court, WARREN EDARD BEHLING, JR., 59, of Jefferson County, was sentenced to 188 months in prison. BEHLING was indicted in September 2006, and pled guilty to three counts of possession of child pornography in October 2006. This investigation is the result of law enforcement monitoring internet sites relating to child pornography.

"Child pornography is not a victimless crime," said U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. "Each photo or video clip represents an assault on the innocence of a living child, and memorializes unspeakable sexual abuse and exploitation. In the case of BEHLING, the child pornography included images of infants and small children involved in sexual acts with some children being bound."

Also today in United States District Court, JOHNATHAN PHILLIP PERRY, 24, of Clarkesville, Tennessee, pled guilty to two counts of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct. The facts in this case revealed in the plea agreement filed in Court, state that PERRY who lived in Tennessee, met a 14 year old female who lived in Alabama, and began communicating with her via the internet and telephone. Approximately four months after their internet introduction, he traveled to Alabama for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse with the minor female. PERRY was arrested on August 26, 2006, and indicted in September 2006.

Perry now faces a maximum prison term of life in prison or a minimum term of not less than ten years in prison, and a life time of supervised release upon completion of his imposed prison term.

The BEHLING investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents, and the PERRY investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of local law enforcement.

In addition, four men were indicted on February 28, 2007, by a Federal Grand Jury under the Project Safe Childhood initiative. Those include:

JACKSON ROBERTSON, 56, of Huntsville, Alabama. ROBERTSON is charged with two counts of possession and receipt of child pornography. The alleged conduct includes more than 19,000 images of child pornography from a period covering February 2004 to May 2006. Investigators from Marshall Space Flight Center Information Technology Security and the NASA Office of Inspector General found evidence of child pornography which led to the indictment of ROBERTSON.

An unnamed Defendant (pending service of arrest warrant) residing in Sulligent, Alabama, is charged with fifteen counts of Enticement of a Minor Child for purposes of producing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The alleged conduct in this case occurred in Marshall County in June 2006. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation of this case with the assistance of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.

JOHN LIBSCOMB HILL, 37, of Decatur, Alabama. HILL is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. The alleged conduct in this case occurred from November 2005 until February 2006 in Morgan County, Alabama. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation of this case with the assistance of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

PATRICK JOHN TRAPP, 26, of Phil Campbell, Alabama. TRAPP is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. The investigation of TRAPP began in the Las Vegas, Nevada Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The alleged conduct began in August 2002 and continued until June 2005 in Franklin County, Alabama. The investigation in Alabama is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division.

These Defendants face prison terms maximum prison terms of ten to twenty years in prison. These cases involve the use of the internet which provides elements that criminals love: a cloak of anonymity, speed of communication and global access to potential victims. It also allows them to brag about their crimes, creating a sick field of competition to see who can produce the most unthinkable photos or videos of rape and molestation. In their perverse eyes, this means the younger the better, however, each image they create and distribute to their deranged cohorts literally documents a crime scene. Project Safe Childhood (PSC) encourages the use of multi-jurisdictional task forces to investigate and prosecute cases that involve the sexual exploitation of children over the Internet. Moreover, PSC urges that law enforcement efforts be complemented by community-wide campaigns to assist victims of exploitation and to educate parents, other adults, and children about Internet safety. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one in every 33 children receives an unwanted sexual solicitation online each year. One in four children experiences unwanted exposure to sexually explicit material on the Internet each year. In addition, more than 20,000 images of child pornography are posted on the Internet every week.

"I encourage parents to continually monitor the online activity of their children and be vigilant for sexual predators who may be attempting to target their children through social networking web sites such as myspace.com, states U.S. Attorney Martin. "Any suspicious activity involving a possible sexual predator should immediately be reported to the FBI or your local police department." For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.