Elko Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

RENO—An Elko, Nevada man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography on his home computer, announced Greg Brower, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Christopher Rex, 41, pleaded guilty on Monday, January 5, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval to one count of possession of child pornography. According to court records, in March 2005, Elko Police Department Officers executed a search warrant at Rex’ residence at 779 Carlin Court in Elko and seized a desktop computer. Investigators examined the computer’s hard drive and found images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the images involved children under the age of 12, including infants. Most of the images were deleted temporary internet files and had not been saved. In pleading guilty, Rex admitted that he possessed at least 10 and less than 150 of the images.

“Online exploitation of minors is a growing crime that the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively prosecute in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Brower. “Since 2002, over 200 individuals have been charged and convicted in Nevada for federal crimes such as transporting, distributing, manufacturing, or possession of child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, and travel with the intent to engage in sex with a minor. Most of these individuals have been sentenced to lengthy terms in prison without the possibility of parole.”

Rex is scheduled to sentenced by Judge Sandoval on April 6, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. If the Court accepts the plea agreement, Rex will be sentenced to 38 months imprisonment and lifetime supervised release. He is released on a personal recognizance bond pending sentencing.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James E. Keller and William R. Reed. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.