NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

MATT J. WHITWORTH

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD

JASPER MAN INDICTED FOR CHILD PORN

            SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Matt J. Whitworth, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jasper, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for possessing and distributing child pornography.

            Donald Lee Zaerr, 58, of Jasper, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

            Today’s indictment alleges that Zaerr distributed at least four images of child pornography over the Internet on Oct. 7, 2009. The indictment also alleges that Zaerr was in possession of child pornography on Nov. 5, 2009.

            The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Zaerr to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the alleged offenses, including 12 computers, four thumb drives and 28 CDR disks.

            Whitworth cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

            This case was 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.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html