Former ICE Chief Pleads Guilty In Child Porn Case
WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) – The former chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges and had his bond revoked.
Anthony Mangione, 51, arrived at federal court in West Palm Beach with his lawyer late Friday morning.
Mangione was arrested last year and charged with possessing, receving and transporting child pornography using private Internet accounts.
During the court hearing, federal prosecutors said they had evidence that Mangione used his home computer to send sexually explicit images using four different AOL screen names.
The screen names he used, prosecutors say included BookStoreMomNC and Flasunguy33.
Prosecutors say between March and September of 2010 Mangione sent numerous emails of children between the ages of 3 and 15 in sexually suggestive poses.
One image, they say, depicted an 8-year-old girl in an elevator and another showed two boys under the age of ten.
When the judge asked Mangione how do you plea, he answered in a clear steady voice, 'I plead guilty."
That admission assures Mangione will go to prison, the same fate of the child predators he once actively pursued during his 27 years with the agency.
The judge also told Mangione that he faces anywhere from 5 to 20 years in federal prison in exchange for his plea and that after serving time he will have to register as a sex offender.
Mangione has been free on $75,000 bond since last October.
Though he first entered a plea of 'not guilty' he changed his mind last month.
His lawyer David Howard asked the judge to allow Mangione to remain free on bond until sentencing later this year.
"He has to put things in place for his family," said Howard. "There is no risk of flight and he has been wearing an ankle monitor and there has been no attempt to contact any of the underage victims."
But federal prosecutors countered that the law required mandatory incarceration pending sentencing on the charges.
The judge agreed. With that Mangione took off his suit jacked and shackles were placed around his wrists.
The judge set sentencing for October 5, 2012, but Howard said he will request a change because of prior commitments.
