Date: 07-03-2016

Case Style: United States of America v. James Tyler George

Case Number: 5:15-cr-00267-DAE

Judge: David A. Ezra

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (Bexar County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Sarah Wannarka

Defendant's Attorney:

Jonathan W. Crisp

Description: San Antonio, TX - Former U.S. Navy Seaman Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Porn Indictment at End of First Day of Trial

A 23-year-old former U.S. Navy Seaman James Tyler George chose to stop his trial and plead guilty to all nine federal child pornography.

George pleaded guilty to six counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transfer of obscene materials to minors. As a result, George faces up to 30 years in federal prison for each production charge; up to 20 years in federal prison for the receipt and possession charges; and, up to ten years in federal prison for the transfer of obscene materials charge.

Statements and testimony offered during the day of trial revealed that George, while stationed at Joint Base San Antonio -- Lackland in 2014, used the Internet to search, find, receive and trade child pornography. Furthermore, George persuaded six female minors to send him sexually explicit photographs of themselves. George also sent those female minors sexually explicit photos of himself.

Testimony also revealed that the mother of one of the minor females contacted the online Navy tip hotline after discovering a sexually explicit photo on her daughter’s phone that George had sent. When he sent the photo, the minor female had just turned 15. On August 19, 2014, Naval authorities searched George’s barrack and seized three phones and a couple of data cards.

George, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11, 2016, before Senior United States District Judge David A. Ezra in San Antonio.

This investigation was conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Outcome: Guilty

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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