warrior1972
05-24-2007, 01:43 PM
By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer
Wed May 23, 8:22 PM ET
McLEAN, Va. - A former president of the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is expected to plead guilty to criminal charges stemming from his arrest in February on child pornography possession charges, according to court records.
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A judge in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Wednesday scheduled a June 1 plea agreement hearing for Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, of Arlington. It was not clear what charges would be included in the plea agreement.
A grand jury indicted Rust-Tierney this month on one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. A conviction at trial on both counts could have resulted in a prison sentence of 11 to 14 years, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Rust-Tierney, who also coached Little League baseball in Arlington, has been in jail since his arrest. At pretrial hearings, two judges refused to grant bail, describing the pornography in question as some of the most sickening they had ever encountered.
Among the items found on Rust-Tierney's computer was a six-minute video that prosecutors described as "a compilation of some of the worst child torture and rape scenes" that police have seen in their various investigations of child exploitation, all set to music by the rock band Nine Inch Nails.
Prosecutors said in court documents that Rust-Tierney spent nearly $1,000 between March 2005 and October 2006 on child pornography ordered over the Internet.
His lawyer did not return calls seeking comment.
Rust-Tierney was president of the ACLU's Virginia chapter from 2002 through 2005, according to the organization's newsletters. Court records state that Rust-Tierney had been working in the D.C. public defender's office and that he served one year as president of Arlington Little League.
Wed May 23, 8:22 PM ET
McLEAN, Va. - A former president of the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is expected to plead guilty to criminal charges stemming from his arrest in February on child pornography possession charges, according to court records.
ADVERTISEMENT
A judge in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Wednesday scheduled a June 1 plea agreement hearing for Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, of Arlington. It was not clear what charges would be included in the plea agreement.
A grand jury indicted Rust-Tierney this month on one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. A conviction at trial on both counts could have resulted in a prison sentence of 11 to 14 years, according to federal sentencing guidelines.
Rust-Tierney, who also coached Little League baseball in Arlington, has been in jail since his arrest. At pretrial hearings, two judges refused to grant bail, describing the pornography in question as some of the most sickening they had ever encountered.
Among the items found on Rust-Tierney's computer was a six-minute video that prosecutors described as "a compilation of some of the worst child torture and rape scenes" that police have seen in their various investigations of child exploitation, all set to music by the rock band Nine Inch Nails.
Prosecutors said in court documents that Rust-Tierney spent nearly $1,000 between March 2005 and October 2006 on child pornography ordered over the Internet.
His lawyer did not return calls seeking comment.
Rust-Tierney was president of the ACLU's Virginia chapter from 2002 through 2005, according to the organization's newsletters. Court records state that Rust-Tierney had been working in the D.C. public defender's office and that he served one year as president of Arlington Little League.