Harvey James Pelland is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of receiving a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

The indictment alleges that in late March and early April 2009, Pelland possessed images of child pornography and received images of child pornography from the Internet, according to officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

“Each possession of child pornography count carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, upon conviction,” said Kathy Colvin, media spokesperson for Jacks' office. “Each receipt count carries a maximum statutory sentence of not less than five years or more than 20 years in prison, upon conviction.”

According to Colvin, the case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the Lubbock U.S. Attorney’s office. Pelland is in state custody on an unrelated charge.

The case was brought before the court as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse, said Colvin.

Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, said Roper, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it