James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

JUDGE DETAINS MINERAL WELLS MAN ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

FORT WORTH, Texas — At hearings held today in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth for Peter M. Espinosa, 66, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Bleil found probable cause and ordered that Espinosa be detained, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Espinosa, a resident of Mineral Wells, Texas, was arrested today, Wednesday, May 20, 2009, on federal child pornography charges outlined in a criminal complaint.

A federal search warrant was executed today by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at Espinosa’s home in Mineral Wells; Espinosa was home at the time. The affidavit filed with the complaint alleges that during the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement interviewed Espinosa and he admitted possessing child pornography. An on-site forensic examination of his computer and computer disks, which were located in his computer room, revealed the images of child pornography.

This case is being 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

A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment.

The matter is being investigated by ICE, Grapevine Police Department and Mineral Wells Police Department and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis.

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