News Releases

Keller, Texas, man admits possessing child pornography

FORT WORTH, Texas - A man from Keller, Texas, pleaded guilty on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton to one count of possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The case is being investigated by Keller Police Department, and by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Scott H. Denney, 48, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for Nov. 29 before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

According to documents filed in the case, acting on a lead they received, the Keller Police Department executed a search warrant at Denney's residence on March 4, 2010. Law enforcement interviewed Denney who admitted that he had used the Internet to acquire images of child pornography, and that he knew it was wrong. An examination of his computer and related storage media revealed images and videos of minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis, Northern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.

This investigation is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 12,800 individuals.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

This case was also 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, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.