Published: May 09, 2008 01:39 pm            

Georgetown man jailed for child pornography

A Georgetown man surrendered himself to federal authorities Thursday on child pornography charges, according to court records.

James W. Dotts Jr., 32, was indicted by a U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana grand jury in February on the charges, said U.S. Attorney Timothy Morrison in a news release. Dotts’ charges — which are three counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography — were unsealed Thursday after his incarceration and initial court appearance.

Dotts was apprehended on the allegations as part of Operation Emissary, Morrison said. That effort, which started in 2006, focused on an illegal Web site that sold subscriptions allowing people to access hardcore child pornography. Dotts is one of 208 people arrested in the nationwide investigation for allegedly subscribing to the site in late 2005 and early 2006, Morrison said.

Dotts now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison for each count of receiving child pornography. The maximum sentence per charge could reach 20 years. On the possession charge, Dotts could be incarcerated for up to 10 years. He also faces up to $1 million in fines if convicted on all counts.

        

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