November 26, 2007

Child pornographer from Oregon gets 18-year prison sentence

PORTLAND, Ore. - An Oregon man who sexually abused his stepdaughter and photographed the abuse was sentenced this morning in federal court to 18 years in prison following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

David Clayton Ellis, 27, formerly of Cornelius, Ore., pleaded guilty to federal charges of producing child pornography following a September 2006 indictment by a federal grand jury. He already is serving a 20-year sentence on Oregon state charges of first-degree sexual abuse. He will serve his federal and state prison time concurrently.

"This 18-year prison sentence sends a clear message to anyone who is involved in child pornography," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Seattle. "ICE will aggressively investigate those who are alleged to be involved in child sexual exploitation."

Following his release from prison, Ellis will be on federal supervised release for five years where he will participate in sex offender treatment and not be permitted to have contact with minors. He also will not be able to use any computer and must also register as a sex offender.

ICE was joined by the Washington County (Ore.) Sheriff's Office in the investigation of this case.

The investigation is part of Operation Predator, an ongoing ICE initiative targeting those who prey on and exploit children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign national predators whose crimes make them deportable. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,000 individuals, including more than 280 in Oregon.

The public is encouraged to report suspected child predators and suspicious activity suspicious by contacting ICE at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or Operation.Predator@dhs.gov. Additionally, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an ICE partner on Operation Predator, can be contacted at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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