BEAUMONT (KYTX) - A 45-year-old Lumberton, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Dean Bailey Swift pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.
According to information presented in court, on Apr. 12, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Swift's Lumberton residence. During the search, a desktop computer was seized. A forensic analysis of the computer revealed 64 images of child pornography in allocated space and 59 images in unallocated space.
Additionally, the computer was found to contain 1,318 images of 'child erotica' –images that generally depict semi-clothed children in provocative or sexual poses. At least one image depicted a prepubescent minor under 12 years of age engaged in sexually explicit acts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the ICE/HSI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice.
