Former banker indicted on child porn charges


A former Lincolnton bank manager and church youth minister was arraigned in federal court this month on two child pornography charges.

James Paul Byrd, 38, of Lincolnton is in the Gaston County Jail without bond pending a March trial in federal court in Statesville, court officials said today.

Byrd is a former branch manager at First Federal Savings Bank in Lincolnton and former youth minister at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Lincolnton.

He was indicted Nov. 16 on charges of activities regarding material containing child pornography and distribution of child pornography.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler on Dec. 10 ordered Byrd detained pending trial. Byrd has appealed the judge’s detention order to a U.S. District Court judge, who could hear the appeal in January.

A federal grand jury on Nov. 16 charged Byrd and five co-defendants from Missouri, Virginia and elsewhere across the country with using the social networking Internet site Facebook to advertise, distribute, possess and access with intent to view child pornography from Jan. 2, 2010, to April 12, 2010, according to a bill of indictment against the defendants in U.S. District Court in Statesville.


On Feb. 20, according to the indictment, Byrd uploaded nine images of child pornography to a Facebook account and made them accessible to members of the group “little girls love to play to .” Byrd created the group and was listed as its administrator, according to the bill of indictment.

Chip Stroup, president of First Federal Savings Bank, declined comment, citing legal and personnel reasons.

Interim Pastor Dennis Hacker at Emmanuel Lutheran Church couldn’t be reached today.

Staff researcher Maria David contributed.

Article source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/28/1939434/former-lincolnton-banker-indicted.html


Tags: cyber war, government, hacking

Category: Government Security Watch

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