Weston Man Faces Federal Indictment On Child Pornography Charges
WESTON (CBSMiami/AP) - A Weston man, after investigators found that images seen in child porn nationwide were taken at his residence, has been indicted on child pornography charges.
Thomas Edler, 48, was detained and is pending trial after a four-count indictment charges which includes three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Edler appeared before Judge Patrick M. Hunt in Fort Lauderdale. If convicted, Edler faces anywhere between 15-30 years in prison.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children requested the assistance of the South Florida Internet Crimes against Children Task Force to help identify a child who appeared in several images of child pornography nationwide, according to documents filed with the court in February of 2013.
As investigators continued to search for what came to be known as the "Dave" series, detectives in the South Florida (ICAC) Task Force found that the images in the "Dave" series were captured in Edler's Weston residence.
A search warrant was executed at Edler's residence on April 9, 2013 where authorities seized electronic media. The images discovered, featuring numerous children 12 and under, were taken with Edler's camera, according to the report.
The investigation also revealed that Edler used that same camera to photograph another series, referred to as "Lil Charlie," of child pornography pictures.
United States State Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer applauded the investigative efforts of all those responsible in Edler's arrest.
