U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of Texas
Johnny Sutton, U.S. Attorney
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
|
Shana Jones, Special Assistant Daryl Fields, Public Information Officer |
FERNANDO PARRA INDICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
United States Attorney Johnny Sutton announced that a federal grand jury in El Paso earlier today returned a three-count indictment charging Fernando Parra with various child pornography offenses.
The indictment charges Parra with one count each of distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and interstate transportation of obscene material. Upon conviction of all charges, Parra faces between five and 35 years in federal prison. The indictment alleges that for a year beginning in September 2005, Parra knowingly received and transmitted via a computer visual depictions of child pornography.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted for the government by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Gregory.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative. PSC is a comprehensive initiative aimed at preventing the abuse and exploitation of children through the Internet or other distribution technology. PSC creates, on a national platform, locally designed partnerships of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in each federal district to investigate and prosecute Internet-based crimes against children. In addition to integration of law enforcement at the district level, PSC also provides for effective participation of PSC partners in coordinated national child pornography initiatives as well as increased federal involvement in basic child pornography and enticement cases.