United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

LUBBOCK MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD PORN CHARGE

LUBBOCK, Texas — David Craig Waligura, 39, of Lubbock, Texas, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. While a sentencing date was not set, Waligura, , faces a maximum statutory sentence of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be also be required to register as a sex offender. He is presently in federal custody.

According to documents filed in Court, Waligura admitted that in 2007, while living in Lubbock, he collected images of adult and child pornography, using his computer to view and download the images from the Internet. Waligura would copy the images to computer compact disks, and would delete the material from the hard drive of his computer. Waligura was aware that many of the images in his collection were images depicting minor females engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and he generally placed these images in separate folders on the compact disks where he saved them.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

U.S. Attorney Roper commended the investigative efforts of the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office.

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