A Texas man has been taken off the streets after pleading guilty to advertising and possessing child pornography. Mark Edwin Cairnes, a 51-year-old resident of Jonestown, Texas, was found guilty of advertising child pornography and possession of child pornography.
According to the charges, Cairnes used an Internet bulletin board to seek out images of child pornography and admitted to possessing tens of thousands of images, including images of children engaged in sadistic and masochistic conduct. Cairnes was identified through ‘Operation Joint Hammer,’ a global enforcement operation targeting transnational rings of child pornographers.
Operation Joint Hammer was initiated through evidence developed by European law enforcement and shared with U.S. counterparts by Europol and Interpol. The European portion of this global enforcement effort, ‘Operation Koala,’ was launched after the discovery of the activities of several people in Europe who were abusing children and producing photographs of the abuse for commercial gain.
Cairnes was indicted on July 21, 2009, and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin, Texas. As part of his plea agreement, Cairnes faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for advertising child pornography and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography.
At sentencing, scheduled for December 18, 2009, Cairnes also faces forfeiture of all seized property, up to a $250,000 fine, and the possibility of a lifetime period of supervised release. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Devlin of the Western District of Texas and Trial Attorney Alecia Riewerts Wolak of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
The investigation is being handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With over 60 people arrested in the United States as part of Operation Joint Hammer, the U.S. government has taken significant steps to combat the trade of child pornography.
Cairnes’ case is a stark reminder of the severity of the child pornography trade and the importance of international cooperation in combating this heinous crime. The Grimy Times will continue to provide updates on this case and other sex crimes in the United States.
Related Federal Cases
- Mark Anthony Hamauei, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2016 · Oregon
- Shemar Cameron Green, Child Pornography, Texas 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Christopher Dale Harrison, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2013 · Arkansas
- Trevion Lechay Ethridge, Production of Child Pornography, Texas 2014 · Arkansas
- Tracy Jay Chappell, Possession of Child Pornography, Texas 2013 · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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