Earnest Twaite, age 55, from Cedar Rapids, has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender. The charge is contained in an Indictment filed December 7, 2011, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, between November 10, 2011, and December 6, 2011, Twaite knowingly failed to register as a sex offender. The Indictment alleges that Twaite was required to register because of his 2001 conviction in California for a sex offense involving a minor.
If convicted, Twaite faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and at least 5 years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.
Twaite appeared on December 8, 2011 in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Twaite’ next appearance for a detention hearing is set for December 13, 2011.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was brought as 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
