84-year-old man pleads guilty to producing child porn

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An 84-year-old man entered a guilty plea to child pornography production Monday at a hearing in a Texarkana, Texas, federal court.

Jay Earl Anderson of Winnsboro, Texas, appeared in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas federal court with Texarkana attorney Craig Henry for a change of plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross represented the government.

A three-count indictment handed down in May charges Anderson with coercion and enticement of a minor, exploitation of a minor to produce a pornographic image and with distribution of child pornography. Anderson pleaded guilty to count two, exploitation of a minor to produce pornography, at Monday’s hearing. Anderson will return to court in several months for formal sentencing before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III. The sentencing hearing will be scheduled once federal probation officials have prepared a pre-sentence report.

According to documents filed Monday in Anderson’s case, the senior offender convinced a girl under 16 to perform oral sex on him in April while he photographed the criminal conduct. Anderson distributed the photos to at least three other people using an internet website. FBI agents found evidence of Anderson’s misconduct when they searched his computer equipment.

Anderson is being forced to forfeit laptops, tablets, data storage devices, cameras and cell phones. He will be required to register as a sex offender if he is released from prison.

The offense to which Anderson pleaded guilty is punishable by a minimum of 15 years to 30 years in federal prison. Anderson could be ordered to pay a fine up to $250,000 and could be ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment of $5,000. The remaining counts in the indictment are expected to be dismissed at sentencing.

Anderson is being held in the Titus County jail.

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