Indiana man charged with possessing child pornography

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana man who works as a youth volleyball coach was charged Thursday in a federal complaint with 10 counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

These charges were announced Aug. 18 by U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler, Southern District of Indiana. The investigation that led to these charges was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Hamilton County (Indiana) Metro Child Exploitation Task Force.

Jerry Boucher, 43, of Avon, Indiana, had his initial appearance before a magistrate judge Aug. 18 and remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

On July 22, HSI special agents and task force officers conducted an online internet investigation when a computer was allegedly found to be sharing child pornography using the BitTorrent network. The computer was tracked through the internet protocol address to Boucher’s computer at his Avon residence. On Aug. 17, a federal search warrant was obtained and computers and storage media were located in Boucher’s bedroom allegedly containing child pornography videos and images.

Boucher works as a children’s volleyball coach. The public is encouraged to call HSI at (317) 216-0252 with any information about this case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Steven DeBrota, who is prosecuting this case, said Boucher could receive 20 years in prison if convicted.

A complaint is merely a charge and not evidence of guilt. All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in federal court.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.