Former Celina teacher/coach charged with production of child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas

SHERMAN, Texas - A former Celina ISD teacher and coach has been charged with federal child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

William Caleb Elliott, 26, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand earlier this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

If convicted, Elliott faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Celina Police Department, Collin County District Attorney's Office, and the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calli Bailey.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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