CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY SWEEP IN ORANGE COUNTY LEADS TO CHARGES
AGAINST 10 DEFENDANTS
A federal law enforcement
sweep targeting child pornography in Orange County has led to charges
against 10 individuals accused of possessing or distributing images
of minors engaged in sexual conduct. Three of the defendants were arrested
this morning and five of the defendants have agreed to plead guilty.
The 10 cases are
the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), the United
States Postal Inspection Service and the California Department of Justice's
Bureau of Investigation. The prosecutions, which all stem from unrelated
investigations, are being coordinated by the United States Attorney's
Office in Santa Ana.
Five of the defendants
are named in indictments that were returned on May 21. Those indicted
are:
-
Donald
C. Armbruster Jr., 51, of Modjeska Canyon, who was arrested this morning
on charges of receiving child pornography and possessing child pornography.
Armbruster allegedly ordered a videotape of child pornography from
an undercover law enforcement web site. Investigators then conducted
a "controlled delivery" of the videotape to Armbruster.
This case was investigated by BICE.
-
Richard
Darrell Lewis, 56, of Newport Beach, was charged with possession of
child pornography. This case is the result of a tip received on the
FBI's website that indicated Lewis was in possession of child pornography.
FBI agents went to Lewis' residence and seized approximately 115 images
that appear to be child pornography that he downloaded from the internet.
Lewis was not arrested today because he is believed to be hospitalized
at this time.
-
Robert
W. Kennedy, 70, of Anaheim, was indicted on five counts of possession
of child pornography. This case is the result of an FBI investigation
that developed information that Kennedy was in possession of child
pornography. Investigators went to Kennedy's residence and seized
13 compact discs which contained approximately 199 images that appear
to be child pornography and that he downloaded from the Internet.
Kennedy was not arrested today because he is also believed to be currently
hospitalized.
-
Robert
Earl Rountree, 23, of Orange, was arrested this morning after being
indicted on one count of possessing child pornography. Acting on a
tip, the FBI executed a search warrant at Rountree's residence and
discovered approximately 32 images and 54 movies that appear to be
child pornography, most of which were obtained via a peer-to-peer
file sharing program on the Internet.
-
Kevin
Hunt, 31, of Stanton, was arrested this morning on charges of distributing
child pornography. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
received a tip that a website contained child pornography. The matter
was referred to the Los Angeles FBI office and, after some investigation,
Hunt was identified as the website's author. The website contained
approximately 25 images that appear to be child pornography.
Armbruster, Roundtree
and Hunt are expected to make their initial court appearances this afternoon
in United States District Court in Santa Ana. They are expected to be
arraigned on the indictments on June 2. A federal judge has issued arrest
warrants for Lewis and Kennedy, and those warrants will be executed
once they are released from the hospital.
Five other defendants
have agreed to plead guilty to federal charges. Those five were named
in criminal informations filed yesterday, along with plea agreements
for each of the five defendants. Those who are expected to plead guilty
are:
-
Michael
Honea, 52, of Huntington Beach, who is charged with possession of
child pornography. After developing evidence that Honea was in possession
of child pornography, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Honea's
residence, where they seized Honea's computer. After a partial review
of the computer, investigators discovered at least 110 images of children
engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Honea had collected off
of the internet. Honea has been summoned to appear for his arraignment
on July 7.
-
Bryce
Daniel Klepinger, 27, of Irvine, was charged with possession of child
pornography. This case stems from an investigation begun by the Danish
National Police into the sexual and physical exploitation of a Danish
child. The investigation, which was later dubbed Operation Hamlet,
identified Klepinger as a member of a group that distributed and collected
child pornography. A search warrant was executed by investigators
with BICE at Klepinger's residence and approximately 75 images of
child pornography were seized. Klepinger has been summoned to appear
for an arraignment on June 2.
-
Samuel
Lane, 68, of Costa Mesa, was charged with possession of child pornography.
Lane ordered videotapes of child pornography through the United States
Mail. Law enforcement authorities intercepted the order form and conducted
a controlled delivery of the child pornography to Lane. This investigation
was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Lane
has been summoned to appear for an arraignment on July 7.
-
Johnny
Hall, 52, Mission Viejo, was charged with possession of child pornography.
This case started when Hall began chatting via e-mail with an undercover
law enforcement officer. A subsequent investigation led to the execution
of a search warrant at Hall's residence. Investigators seized a number
of computers and discovered hundreds of images that appear to be child
pornography. This case was investigated by the Sexual Predator Apprehension
Team of the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation.
Hall has been summoned to appear for an arraignment on August 4.
-
Luke
Thomas, 22, of Orange, was charged with possession of child pornography.
As a result of on-line chats involving Thomas, investigators with
BICE went to Thomas' residence, where he allowed the agents to take
his computer. A cursory forensic review of the computer showed a number
of images that appear to be child pornography. Thomas has been summoned
to appear for an arraignment on August 4.
The charge of possession
of child pornography carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years
in federal prison. The charge of distribution of child pornography carries
a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
An indictment or
criminal information contains allegations that a defendant has committed
a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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