Two Plead Guilty in Federal Court to Distributing Child Pornography
Each Defendant Faces up to 20 Years in Federal Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 05, 2013 |
FORT WORTH, TX—Latona E. Long, 27, of Greenville, Texas, and Michael M. Bodie, 41, of North Richland Hills, Texas, each appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton and pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. Bodie was arrested in February 2013, and Long was arrested the following month on related charges outlined in criminal complaints, and they have been in custody since that time. They each face a maximum statutory penalty of not less than five or more than 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for November 12, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means. 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, in February 2013, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Bodie’s home regarding his use of a Yahoo e-mail account that was being used to send and receive images of child pornography. Bodie admitted that he did use that account to send and receive child pornography and that he had corresponded via Yahoo e-mail with a person, L.L., now known to be Long.
In February 2013, FBI agents and task force officers met with Long at her home regarding her use of a Yahoo e-mail account that was used to send and receive child pornography. Long also said that she had corresponded via Yahoo Instant Messenger with a person she knew as M.B., now known as Bodie, and that during their communications, she sent Bodie an image of 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 investigation is being conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem is in charge of the prosecution.