Alabama Man Indicted on Child Pornography and Sex Tourism Charges

An Alabama native was indicted today and charged with multiple crimes involving travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors and child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama.

Clarence Edward Evers Jr., aka Bud, a technology teacher employed by the Conecuh County, Alabama, Board of Education, was arrested on Feb. 11, 2016, and was charged today with five counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, one count of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of access with intent to view child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the indictment, Evers allegedly traveled to Thailand in the summers of 2010 through 2014 for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and allegedly attempted to make a similar trip in the spring of 2015.  During the 2014 trip, Evers also allegedly photographed his victims’ abuse and then transported the images back to the United States.  In addition, Evers allegedly had other images of child sexual exploitation on his computers and other electronic devices.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  Evers is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ICE-HSI is investigating this case.  Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean P. Costello and Maria E. Murphy of the Southern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.