Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Not guilty plea at arraignment


The wait for the trial begins.

Not guilty plea entered in child pornography

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SAN ANTONIO — Attorneys for Burton De La Garza entered a plea of not guilty Monday in federal district court for charges of production and possession of child pornography.

De La Garza is accused of using a minor to produce child pornography for more than a year in 2006 and 2007, as well as possessing explicit images of minors from February 2006 until he was arrested by federal agents on Oct. 16.

He was charged with one count of possession and one count of production of child porn, after a grand jury indicted him on Nov. 4, alleging that he “did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct,” to make pornographic materials.

De La Garza faces between 15 and 30 years in prison if convicted of production, and up to ten years in prison for one count of possession. He was arrested on Oct. 16 by FBI agents.

He did not appear before a judge Monday, instead having attorneys enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

De La Garza’s next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.