CARBONDALE MAN INDICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE

Randy G. Massey, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on August 7, 2007, CHARLES THOMAS COX, age 25, of Carbondale, Illinois, was named in a one-count Indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Benton, Illinois, charging him with Possession of Child Pornography.

COX was arrested on August 9, 2007, and is being held in custody pending his bond hearing in United States District Court in Benton, Illinois.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

COX faces up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and from 5 years to lifetime supervised release.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Illinois State Police, the Carbondale Police Department, and the Southern Illinois University Police Department. This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and the United States Department of Justice, in which the United States Attorney's Office, in conjunction with federal and state law enforcement authorities, is actively investigating and prosecuting individuals who produce, distribute, or possess child pornography. Anyone with information concerning the use of the Internet for the purposes of possessing, producing, or trafficking in child pornography is encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation or their local police department.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney George A. Norwood for prosecution.