Wise County, Texas Man Admits Possessing Child Pornography

FORT WORTH, TX—Kenneth Dale Chase, 50, of Wise County, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Chase faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means on August 23, 2010.

On January 18, 2008, a Pengo Technologies computer disk was discovered in Chase’s vehicle. Upon review of its contents, the FBI was notified. They reviewed the disk’s contents and discovered numerous images and videos of child pornography. That examination resulted in FBI agents locating child pornography and Chase admitting that he had viewed child pornography that he had obtained from the Internet on his computer.

Chase admitted that between January 15, 2008, and February 7, 2008, he downloaded images of child pornography from the Internet onto his computer and external storage media.

This case 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.