Pacific, Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charges

ST. LOUIS, MO—James Orick has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of possession of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap announced today.

JAMES ORICK, Pacific, Missouri, plead guilty to seven felony counts of possession of child pornography for his possession of images containing children under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his computer between July and September 2008. He appeared before United States District Judge Jean C. Hamilton in federal court in St. Louis. Sentencing has been set for April 9, 2010.

Each charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

This case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's 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.

Reap commended the work performed on the case by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis County Police Department, the Regional Computer Crimes Education and Enforcement Group, and Assistant United States Attorney Robert Livergood, who is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.