United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

WALLINGFORD MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WARREN PAUL PERKINS III, age 31, formerly of Wallingford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bridgeport to a charge of transporting child pornography. PERKINS was indicted in February. He is currently serving a federal sentence for interstate travel for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual acts with a minor.

The Indictment to which PERKINS pleaded guilty today charges that in March 2003, he sent three images of child pornography to New York. The prosecutor explained in court that on March 4, 2003, PERKINS entered an internet chat room entitled "vy", which in the parlance of child pornographers means "very young." Therein, he typed the phrase "list me" which is the most common command required for joining a list serve program. A list serve program is one that enables the program manager to simultaneously distribute e-mails, files, and attachments to anyone who has joined the list and is a common mechanism for trading child pornography on a large scale basis. At this time, an undercover FBI Special Agent was in the same special interests chat room. In a discussion that followed between the undercover officer and PERKINS, PERKINS offered to trade images of child pornography. PERKINS then sent an email to the undercover officer containing three images of child pornography.

PERKINS is currently serving a 33 month sentence received upon conviction in Oklahoma stemming from his travel on March 13, 2003, to meet a person he believed to be a minor girl. In fact, he had been communicating with, and was intending to see an undercover FBI agent posing as a minor.

PERKINS faces a maximum period of incarceration of 15 years and a $250,000.00 fine when he is sentenced on June 3, 2004 by United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill.

"It is a priority of this Office to protect children through the prosecution of those exploit them and our commitment in this regard is unwavering," U.S. Attorney O'Connor stated.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kari A. Dooley.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov