Randy G. Massey, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on August 22, 2007, BRUCE E. WALKER, age 48, of 839 Vicksburg, Belleville, Illinois, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in East St. Louis, Illinois, with Possession of Child Pornography. WALKER was arraigned on August 24, 2007. The indictment was originally suppressed, but has since been unsealed.

The violation is alleged to have occurred on February 28, 2007, in St. Clair County, Illinois. The indictment carries a penalty of up to ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life.

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.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro-East Cyber Crime and Analysis Task Force and the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Task force members participating in the investigation included the Belleville Police Department, the Illinois Department of Corrections, and the Alton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne M. Garrison.