WICHITA, KAN. - A Kearny County man was indicted Tuesday on federal child pornography charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Mark A. Wireman, 44, Lakin, Kan., was charged with five counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to court records, the investigation began in October 2014 when Google made a report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline. The report was about a file containing child porn that had been uploaded on a Google email server. Investigators followed an electronic trail to Wireman, who was a previously convicted sex offender.
Wireman allegedly was exchanging emails containing child pornography with a man who he met in prison. The emails included photos of young children including toddlers in sexual situations. In one of Wireman’s emails, he urged the other man to take pornographic photos of a child to whom the man had access.
If convicted, Wireman faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 40 years on the distribution charge and not less than 10 years and not more than 20 years on the possession charge. Homeland Security investigations, the Wichita Police Department’s Exploited and Missing Child Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Jeffrey L. Becklund, 56, Bellflower, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 24, 2015, in Thomas County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the possession charge, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the interstate travel charge. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Israel Guevara-Garcia, 36, and Walter Calderon, 35, Freemont, Neb., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 31, 2014, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.
Luis Arturo Garcia Gomez, 37, Phoenix, Ariz., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 28, 2015, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years and a fine up to $2 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
Juan F. Morales, 62, Garden City, Kan., Victor Linares, 57, Lamar, Colo., and Filiberto Escobedo-Colon, 54, Garden City, Kan., are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, five counts of using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in December 2014 in Kearny County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy: Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.
Using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of four years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million.
Possession with intent to distribute cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and fine up to $1 million.
Interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Finney County Sheriff’s Office, the Garden City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Justin John Michael Cook, 32, Hutchinson, Kan., is charged one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Dec. 17, 2014, in Sterling, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Sterling Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
Nathaniel S. McGrew, 39, Daytona, Ky., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Oct. 30, 2014, in Logan County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the marijuana charge, and a penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
Tremain Vaughn Scott, 33, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 21, 2015, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
Dean L. Johns, 49, Abilene, Kan., is charged with one count of wire fraud in connection with fraudulent unemployment benefit claims totaling $11,856. The crime is alleged to have occurred from March 2, 2013, to Aug. 24, 2013.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Department of Labor investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Alfredo Huerta-Guerrero, 37, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Dec. 12, 2014, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
