United States Attorney
Announces Increase in Prosecution of Child Pornography
Cases
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt
announced dispositions in three separate cases today
in federal court in San Diego involving charges of
possession of child pornography, in violation of Title
18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B).
United
States Attorney Hewitt stated that in the past year
the number of prosecutions of child pornography cases
prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office
in San Diego has increased by approximately 40 percent
over 2007. According to United States Attorney Hewitt, “We
are committed to prosecuting individuals who possess
child pornography, which is a felony under federal
law. With easy access to the Internet, we have seen
a marked increase of individuals in San Diego and Imperial
Counties who possess horrific images of minors engaged
in unlawful and abusive sexual acts.” United
States Attorney Hewitt further stated, “The San
Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)
has done an outstanding job in investigating these
important cases for prosecution by either the United
States Attorney’s Office or the San Diego District
Attorney’s Office. The San Diego ICAC is one
of the best examples of true partnership and collaboration
among all federal, state and local law enforcement
to prosecute individuals who possess or distribute
child pornography in our community.”
The San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task
Force is composed of members from the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County
Sheriff’s Department, the Chula Vista Police
Department, the United States Attorney’s Office,
the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the
United States Postal Inspection Service, the Naval
Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Marshals
Service, the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory,
the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the
El Cajon Police Department.
The three child pornography case dispositions in federal
court today involved a former employee of the County
of San Diego, a former enlisted Marine assigned to
Miramar Marine Air Station, and an unemployed resident
of El Centro, California.
In the first case, Lawrence Lester Nixon pled guilty
to an Information charging him with one count of possession
of child pornography. Nixon entered his guilty plea
before Magistrate Judge William McCurine, Jr., subject
to final acceptance of the plea by United States District
Court Judge William Q. Hayes, at the time of sentencing.
According to the court records, Nixon admitted that
between May 2006 and August 2007, he possessed a computer
which contained over 600 images of minors, some as
young as three or four years old, engaging in sexually
explicit conduct with adults and each other. At the
time of the search warrant executed at his residence,
Nixon was employed with the County of San Diego in
their digital photography department. Sentencing for
Nixon is scheduled for August 25, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.,
before Judge Hayes. This case stems from a nationwide
investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE).
In the second case, Daniel Joseph Tarchala was sentenced
by United States District Court Judge Marilyn L. Huff
to serve 41 months in custody and five years of supervised
release following completion of his prison term. The
Court also required Tarchala to register as a sex offender.
Tarchala pled guilty on March 4, 2008, to possessing
a computer containing between 300-600 images of minors,
some as young as five or six years old, engaging in
sexually explicit conduct with adults and each other.
Prior to his arrest, Tarchala was an active-duty Marine
stationed at Miramar Marine Air Station. This case
stems from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service.
In the third case, Nathan Morgan was sentenced by
United States District Court Judge Marilyn L. Huff
to serve 41 months in custody and five years of supervised
release following completion of his prison term. The
Court also required Morgan to register as a sex offender.
Morgan pled guilty on February 11, 2008, to possessing
a computer containing approximately 150 images of minors,
some as young as eight years old, engaging in sexually
explicit conduct with adults and each other. The case
stems from an investigation by ICE.
These cases were also prosecuted as part of Project
Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice
initiative designed to protect children from online
exploitation and abuse. 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 identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood,
please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .
DEFENDANTS
Lawrence Lester Nixon Case Number: 08cr1241-WQH
Daniel Joseph Tarchala Case Number: 08cr0519-H
Nathan Morgan Case Number: 08cr0036-H
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B) (Possession of Child Pornography)
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Naval Criminal
Investigative Service
San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
