2 locals face porn charges after sweep

Deepa Bharath

Two local men face charges of possessing child pornography after a

targeted sweep by federal agents in Orange County last week,

officials said.

Samuel Lane, 68, of Costa Mesa pleaded guilty to ordering

videotapes containing child pornography over the mail, Assistant U.S.

Atty. Richard Lee said.

An arrest warrant is also out for 56-year-old Richard Darrell

Lewis of Newport Beach, who “is believed to be hospitalized,” Lee

said. He said FBI agents seized about 115 pornographic images of

children from Lewis’ home computer that he allegedly downloaded from

the Internet.

Lane is scheduled to be arraigned July 7, and Lewis will likely be

arrested after he is released from the hospital, Lee said.

Arrest warrants are also out for Donald C. Armbruster, 51, of

Modjeska Canyon; Robert W. Kennedy, 70, of Anaheim; Robert Earl

Rountree, 23, of Orange; and Kevin Hunt, 31, of Stanton.

Four other men agreed to plead guilty to the charges. They were

Michael Honea, 52, of Huntington Beach; Bryce Daniel Klepinger, 27,

of Irvine; Johnny Hall, 52, of Mission Viejo; and Luke Thomas, 22, of

Orange.

Possession of child pornography carries a maximum jail sentence of

five years in federal prison.

Lee said the “sweep” was a “creative initiative” that involved

several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the U.S.

attorney’s office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the California Department of

Justice’s Bureau of Investigation.

“We put several of these cases together and made it a sweep to

emphasize our commitment to investigate and prosecute these cases,”

he said.

Possession and distribution of child pornography is a federal

offense.

Lee said “technology and the Internet have made it easier to

access and distribute child pornography.” But all the same, law

enforcement agents are also well equipped with the tools to fight

these crimes, he said.

“A sweep does not mean this is the end,” Lee said. “We’ll continue

our commitment to investigating and prosecuting such crimes.”