LAWFUEL – Legal News, Legal Jobs Network – R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jesús Torres, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), announced that defendant, Jimmy Oliver, of West Palm Beach, entered a guilty plea to four (4) counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to create child pornography and one (1) count of possession of child pornography.
Oliver was arrested on January 20, 2006, on a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The Criminal Complaint stated that a federal search warrant was executed on the home of a Montana resident, Jimmy Dean Carpenter, in August 2005. The search of Carpenter’s computer equipment and CD-Roms resulted in the discovery of multiple images of child pornography, including several digital films of Carpenter sexually molesting his three daughters, aged 11, 10, and 5. Digital films of other adult males sexually abusing children were also discovered on Carpenter’s computer equipment and CD-Roms. Chat room logs were found that showed Carpenter discussing sexual activity with children with a person using the screen name “Muscelcars2001.” During the chats, “Muscelcars2001” claimed to be a 54-year-old male resident of Florida.
Subsequently investigation by ICE agents confirmed that the person using the screen name “Muscelcars2001” was James Oliver. Carpenter admitted to sending child pornography to Oliver and receiving child pornography from Oliver. Carpenter explained how he stored the child pornography he received from Oliver and, from that description, a film of Oliver performing oral sex on a prepubescent child was identified.
Oliver was arrested on January 20, 2006 on a Criminal Complaint. A subsequent search of Oliver’s West Palm Beach home produced computer equipment containing images of child pornography. Subsequently, Oliver was indicted on charges that included distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, distribution of child pornography to a minor to induce the minor to engage in sexual activity with an adult, sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of creating child pornography, permitting a minor in his custody or control to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
Today, Oliver pled guilty to the most serious of those charges, including four (4) counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to create child pornography and one (1) count of possession of child pornography. Pursuant to the terms of that plea agreement, Oliver is required to assist authorities in identifying other individuals involved in child molestation.
Oliver faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen (15) years up to a maximum of 130 years’ imprisonment. Following his release from imprisonment, Oliver faces a term of supervised release of up to the remainder of his life and he will be required to register as a sex offender. Oliver also faces a maximum fine of $1,250,000.
United States Attorney Acosta stated, “Sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a heinous crime, which merits the most severe punishment under the law. In this case, the government will seek the maximum punishment allowed by statute, 130 years in prison. But even this lengthy prison term cannot undo the harm Oliver brought to innocent children. With this prosecution and plea, we can only hope to bring some level of justice to the victims and their families.”
“While we cannot restore the innocence of those who were abused and exploited, we can make sure that justice is served,” said Jesus Torres, Special Agent in Charge of ICE investigations in Miami. “Let there be no doubt: we will continue targeting the monsters who seek to hurt our must vulnerable.”
Oliver is scheduled to be sentenced before the Hon. Kenneth L. Ryskamp at 10:00 a.m., January 19, 2007, in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach.
U.S. Attorney Acosta commended the joint efforts of the West Palm Beach and Great Falls (Montana) offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the Great Falls (Montana) Police Department.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov/ .
