BEAUMONT, Texas — A 21-year-old Joaquin, Texas man has been arrested on child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

 

Alexander Nathan Barter was arrested on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Joaquin, and appeared today in Beaumont before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin for an initial appearance. 

 

Barter has been charged in a federal complaint with attempted coercion and enticement and will return to court on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 for detention and preliminary hearings.  

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.(link is external)

 

If convicted, Barter faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

 

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Lufkin, Beaumont, and Houston, Texas; Homeland Security Investigations Cocoa Beach, Florida, Child Exploitation Task Force; Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (Florida); Nacogdoches Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety; Customs and Border Protection Air Units; and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.

 

It is important to note that an arrest, indictment, or complaint should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.