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

FORT WORTH MAN SENTENCED IN CHILD PORN CASE

FORT WORTH, Texas — James Wilks, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced today to five years in prison as a result of his guilty plea in October to one count of receipt of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. At this morning’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means also ordered Wilks, 24, serve ten years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. He must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons next month.

The investigation began when, in March 2005, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated an investigation into an individual in the Seattle area who was distributing child pornography using Google’s Hello program. During the course of the investigation, ICE searched several computers and their forensic investigation led them to James Wilks as an individual who was involved in child pornography. On April 4, 2007, ICE agents, along with Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department officers, executed a federal search warrant at Wilks’ residence. A forensic examination of his computer and related storage media was performed and agents discovered more than 100 images of child pornography.

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

The case was investigated by ICE and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis prosecuted the case.

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