June 15, 2007

Ohio fugitive sentenced to 22 years for child pornography
Cleveland man fled to Texas to assume new identity

CLEVELAND - A Cleveland man was sentenced here yesterday to 264 months in prison for distributing and receiving child pornography. The sentence is a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Robert Miller, 46, of the 14000 block of Rockfern Ave., was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Gaughn to distributing and receiving child pornography. After serving his sentence, Miller will remain on supervised release for life.

Cleveland ICE agents executed a search warrant at Miller's residence in December of 2005, seizing a computer, compact discs and floppy discs. A forensic analysis of the media revealed 3,709 images and 45 digital movies containing child pornography.

In January 2007, Miller, who was on electronic monitoring, was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in U.S. District Court but failed to appear. A warrant for his arrest was issued. The U.S. Marshals Service located Miller in Killeen, Texas, in February with stolen identity documents and a magazine that contained information on "how to disappear and assume a new identity."

"All children have the right to grow up free from the fear of sexual exploitation," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. "ICE will not cease in its relentless pursuit of those who abuse our kids, whether that abuse is physical in nature or accomplished through the exploitation of their captured images."

This case is part of Operation Predator, ICE's comprehensive initiative to safeguard children from foreign national pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,000 individuals nationwide, including 112 in Ohio.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. Investigators staff this hotline around the clock. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Sullivan, Northern District of Ohio, prosecuted this case.

-- 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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