Press Release
REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER WHO SERVED AS A U.S. ARMY SERGEANT AND WHO WAS DEPLOYED IN IRAQ, INDICTED IN FT. PIERCE
March 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Ken Mascara, Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, announced today that defendant Gary William West of Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Ft. Pierce, Florida for distributing child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2) and for committing said felony offense while registered as a sex offender in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A.
Based upon previously filed public records, West, a U.S. Army Sergeant deployed in Iraq, entered an America Online chat room and began to correspond with an undercover detective posing as the father of an eleven year old girl. During communications with the undercover detective, West emailed the undercover detective images of child pornography. During the same time frame, West was registered as a Sex Offender in the state of Texas based on his Ohio conviction for Importuning, a felony in the fifth degree, in violation of Ohio Revised Code Section 2907.07 (D)(2) in case number 2005-CR-52.
If convicted of Count One, West faces a minimum of five years up to forty years in prison, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a possible $250,000 fine. If convicted of Count Two, West faces a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years that must run consecutive to Count One, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release up to a lifetime of supervised release and a possible $250,000 fine.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diana M. Acosta.
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 http://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.
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