CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Christopher Gaines, 31, of Corpus Christi, Texas, has entered a plea of guilty to possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Gaines was indicted March 14, 2012.

Gaines came to the attention of law enforcement when an undercover police officer with the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (CCPD-ICAC) downloaded several items of child pornography from a computer that was linked to Gaines. ICAC contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and enlisted their assistance in a joint investigation of the unlawful activity.

On Feb. 23, 2012, a search warrant was executed on Gaines’ Corpus Christi home, at which time a computer was seized and determined to contain items of child pornography. Gaines admitted to having used the Internet to search for and acquire child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, who accepted the guilty plea today, has set sentencing for Aug. 30, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. Gaines was arrested Feb. 24, 2012, and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending his sentencing hearing.

This case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lance Duke and investigated by CCPD-ICAC and HSI, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."