Florida men sentenced for production and receipt of child pornography

ICE.gov ^ | January 10, 2008

[Calpernia]

Florida men sentenced for production and receipt of child pornography following ICE and Martin County Sheriff's Office investigation

MIAMI - Randy Charles Harris, 37, and Salvador Pascual Aguirre, 23, both of Indiantown, Fla., were sentenced yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to serve prison sentences for their involvement in a child pornography case in which video clips of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct between January 2005 and June 2007 were produced.

The announcement was made yesterday by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta for the Southern District of Florida and Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Harris and Leonard Addison Parks, 24, also of Indiantown, Fla., were previously charged in a superseding indictment for conspiring to produce the illegal video clips. The superseding indictment also charged Aguirre with receiving or attempting to receive child pornography from Harris during that same time period.

Harris was sentenced to serve 30 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2007, to one count of using a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct and one count of conspiracy to use a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

Aguirre, who cooperated with investigators, received a 3-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2007, to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography.

Parks, who pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2007, to one count of conspiracy to use, induce, and persuade a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, will be sentenced at a later date.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Steinberg and Trial Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

This investigation is part of Operation Predator, ICE's comprehensive initiative to safeguard children from pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,100 individuals nationwide.

ICE encourages the reporting of suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

-- ICE --