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Australian Citizen Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

U.S. Attorney’s Office December 10, 2010
  • Southern District of Texas (713) 567-9000

HOUSTON—Christopher Mark King, a citizen of Australia, has been indicted on one count of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

King, 54, is a legal permanent resident living and working in the Houston area. At a hearing this morning, U.S. Magistrate Judge John Froeschner released King on a $100,000 bond pending further court proceedings.

The indictment, returned on Nov. 17, 2010, accuses King of possessing child pornography on March 16, 2010. The charge against King is the result of an investigation conducted by members of the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force, which focuses its attention on investigating offenses involving the exploitation of children via the Internet. The case was brought to the attention of the FBI by King’s employer after images they believed were child pornography were discovered when they were servicing King’s company-issued laptop. The FBI conducted additional investigation leading to the discovery of several hundred images of child pornography.

King faces a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible fine of $250,000, if convicted. In addition, upon completion of any prison term imposed, King faces a maximum of life on supervised release during which the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect the children and prohibit the use of the Internet.

King’s trial is set for Feb. 7, 2011, before United States District Judge Lee H Rosenthal.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation. Led by United States Attorneys’ 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

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