Las Vegas, Nev. – The Federal Grand Jury has indicted a man on charges that he traveled in interstate commerce and knowingly failed to update his sex offender registration as required by the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, announced Steven W. Myhre, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

John Gerard Escovedo, age 28, of Las Vegas, was indicted on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, and charged with one count of Failure to Register. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the Criminal Complaint and Indictment, it is alleged that on January 30, 2007, Mr. Escovedo was arrested by North Las Vegas Police Department Officers for Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution. North Las Vegas Police partners in the Nevada Sex Offender, Compliance, Apprehension and Prosecution Initiative (SOCAP) referred the case to the U.S. Marshals Service. On February 16, 2007, SOCAP partners determined that Escovedo had previously been convicted in Midland, Texas, of First Degree Felony Aggravated Sexual Assault on a Child and sentenced to five years in prison. Investigators determined that Escovedo had been designated a Tier II sex offender, and that he had previously registered in Clark County, Nevada, on October 9, 2006, with a listed address in Big Springs, Texas. It was also determined that Escovedo had been residing in the Las Vegas area since January 2007, and had not updated his sex offender registration as required under federal law.

Escovedo is currently in federal custody and scheduled for an Arraignment and Plea on Friday, March 16, 2007, before United States Magistrate Judge George W. Foley.

This is the first federal case to be prosecuted as part of the Nevada SOCAP Initiative, formed last year in response to the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which creates national standards for sex offender registration and notification. The initiative seeks to arrest sex offenders with outstanding felony warrants; ensure regular compliance checks for sex offenders who pose the greatest risk of re-offending; and ensure aggressive prosecution of non-compliant sex offenders. Members of the Initiative include the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Clark County District Attorney's Office, Henderson Police Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, North Las Vegas Police Department, Nevada Department of Public Safety, and Nevada Child Seekers.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Koppe.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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