FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Transportation and Possession of Child Pornography
A registered sex offender was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for transporting and possessing child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John F. Walsh of the District of Colorado and Special Agent in Charge David Thompson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Denver Field Office.
“Insidious crimes like this steal the innocence and youth of our nation’s children,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “The Department of Justice is committed to investigating, prosecuting and incapacitating those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Defendant Hopson, by his repeated acts of victimization and criminal conduct, has made clear that he poses a real and present danger to children and to society,” said U.S. Attorney Walsh. “The sentence imposed today will neutralize this dangerous perpetrator for 35 years and is a true victory for the community and for Colorado’s children.”
“Anyone who collects and shares child pornography victimizes the most innocent and most vulnerable members of our society,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Thompson. “This lengthy prison sentence recognizes the trauma that predators inflict on helpless children.”
Gregory Lynn Hopson, 44, of Westminster, Colorado was indicted on Oct. 24, 2012, and pleaded guilty to transportation and possession of child pornography on Sept. 29, 2014. He has been in custody since his arrest on March 5, 2011. Based on the conduct described below, Hopson is currently serving a state prison sentence of 16 years to life for violating the terms of his state probation in connection with his prior conviction for sexual assault on a child. In addition to the prison sentence imposed today, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock of the District of Colorado ordered Hopson to pay restitution to the victim of his crime.
According to Hopson’s admissions in his plea agreement, during the execution of a search warrant at his residence on March 5, 2011, ICE agents seized Hopson’s encrypted computer and CD-ROMs, which contained a well-organized collection of thousands of images and videos of child pornography. The material depicted children, including infants, being sexually abused. One of the CD-ROMs contained images and videos of Hopson engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a child under the age of 12 with whom Hopson was in a position of trust.
Hopson further admitted in his plea agreement that he exchanged child pornography with others over the Internet. In fact, ICE agents recovered approximately 300 emails that Hopson sent or received containing approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography.
At the time of the search warrant, Hopson was already a registered sex offender, having been convicted of sexually abusing two children under the age of 12. He was on intensive probation and was undergoing sex offender treatment when he committed these offenses.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the resources tab.
This case was investigated by HSI, and prosecuted by Trial Attorney Keith Becker of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and Chief Judith A. Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth N. Gibson of the District of Colorado’s Special Prosecution Section.
Showing posts with label SEX OFFENDER. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEX OFFENDER. Show all posts
Friday, January 2, 2015
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER ARRESTED IN PORTLAND, MAINE
FROM: U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE
Most Wanted Fugitive, Convicted Sex Offender Clyde Hall Jr Arrested in Portland, Maine
Adam Walsh Act Violator Failed to Report to Halfway House in Albany, NY
WASHINGTON – Deputy U.S. marshals today arrested 15 Most Wanted fugitive Clyde Hall Jr., a career sex offender who violated conditions of release and failed to register as a sex offender. Members of the United States Marshals Service’s Maine Violent Offender Task Force apprehended Hall without incident earlier this morning on Congress Street in Portland, Maine. The fugitive had been on the run since March 2012 and was added to the USMS 15 Most Wanted list Sept. 12, 2012, becoming the first person added to the list who had violated the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA).
“Clyde Hall is a violent convicted sex offender who was a threat to innocent, law-abiding citizens,” said Director Stacia Hylton of the U.S. Marshals Service. “Deputy U.S. Marshals make it a priority each day to locate and apprehend sex offenders who fail to comply with state registry requirements designed to keep the public safe. Hall’s arrest today makes our communities safer.”
Hall was released from the Butner Federal Correctional Institution in North Carolina in March 2012, after serving a 25-month sentence based on his conviction in the Northern District of New York for violating the AWA as a convicted sex offender. Conditions of his release required him to report to a halfway house in Albany, N.Y. However, he failed to meet with his assigned probation officer and check in at the halfway house, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant March 12, 2013.
U.S. Marshal David McNulty of the Northern District of New York said, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service in Northern New York and throughout the country who devoted countless hours to ensure this career sex offender was taken off the streets. Hopefully his apprehension will mean he never has the chance to victimize anyone ever again.”
Deputy U.S. marshals in Albany led the investigation which involved many USMS district and division offices, including the Maine task force. Investigative leads directed the deputies to Portland, where they scoured the city in search of Hall. Deputies and task force officers spotted a man matching his description, approached the individual, identified themselves as deputy marshals, and took Hall into custody without incident.
Deputy U.S. marshals booked and processed Hall in Portland, where he made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge. He awaits a return to Albany.
U.S. Marshal Noel March of the District of Maine said of the arrest, “If a fugitive chooses Maine to hide out, he’s made a big mistake. The men and women of our Maine Violent Offender Task Force make it their priority to investigate, locate and apprehend those who are wanted by the courts, regardless of the jurisdiction from which they are on the run.”
The ‘America’s Most Wanted’ television program featured Hall in June 2012 and detailed his violent, abusive history dating back to 1985. The state of New York labeled Hall a Tier III sex offender, its most dangerous sex offender classification.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence, and they pose a significant threat to public safety. Generally, “15 Most Wanted” fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, 225 “15 Most Wanted” fugitives have been arrested.
Most Wanted Fugitive, Convicted Sex Offender Clyde Hall Jr Arrested in Portland, Maine
Adam Walsh Act Violator Failed to Report to Halfway House in Albany, NY
WASHINGTON – Deputy U.S. marshals today arrested 15 Most Wanted fugitive Clyde Hall Jr., a career sex offender who violated conditions of release and failed to register as a sex offender. Members of the United States Marshals Service’s Maine Violent Offender Task Force apprehended Hall without incident earlier this morning on Congress Street in Portland, Maine. The fugitive had been on the run since March 2012 and was added to the USMS 15 Most Wanted list Sept. 12, 2012, becoming the first person added to the list who had violated the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA).
“Clyde Hall is a violent convicted sex offender who was a threat to innocent, law-abiding citizens,” said Director Stacia Hylton of the U.S. Marshals Service. “Deputy U.S. Marshals make it a priority each day to locate and apprehend sex offenders who fail to comply with state registry requirements designed to keep the public safe. Hall’s arrest today makes our communities safer.”
Hall was released from the Butner Federal Correctional Institution in North Carolina in March 2012, after serving a 25-month sentence based on his conviction in the Northern District of New York for violating the AWA as a convicted sex offender. Conditions of his release required him to report to a halfway house in Albany, N.Y. However, he failed to meet with his assigned probation officer and check in at the halfway house, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant March 12, 2013.
U.S. Marshal David McNulty of the Northern District of New York said, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service in Northern New York and throughout the country who devoted countless hours to ensure this career sex offender was taken off the streets. Hopefully his apprehension will mean he never has the chance to victimize anyone ever again.”
Deputy U.S. marshals in Albany led the investigation which involved many USMS district and division offices, including the Maine task force. Investigative leads directed the deputies to Portland, where they scoured the city in search of Hall. Deputies and task force officers spotted a man matching his description, approached the individual, identified themselves as deputy marshals, and took Hall into custody without incident.
Deputy U.S. marshals booked and processed Hall in Portland, where he made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge. He awaits a return to Albany.
U.S. Marshal Noel March of the District of Maine said of the arrest, “If a fugitive chooses Maine to hide out, he’s made a big mistake. The men and women of our Maine Violent Offender Task Force make it their priority to investigate, locate and apprehend those who are wanted by the courts, regardless of the jurisdiction from which they are on the run.”
The ‘America’s Most Wanted’ television program featured Hall in June 2012 and detailed his violent, abusive history dating back to 1985. The state of New York labeled Hall a Tier III sex offender, its most dangerous sex offender classification.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence, and they pose a significant threat to public safety. Generally, “15 Most Wanted” fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, 225 “15 Most Wanted” fugitives have been arrested.
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