Donschee Ricky Montrell Foster, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Mar. 11 on charges including possession of obscene material, possession of child pornography, and being a registered sex offender while committing child exploitation crimes. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
A jury trial is set for April 6 before United States District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers. If convicted, Foster faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. He is currently held in the custody of the United States Marshals Service at the Santa Rosa County Jail pending trial.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pensacola Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg will prosecute the case.
Officials emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation and not evidence of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
