FORT WORTH, TX—Daniel Oberlender, 45, a former choir teacher at Cross Timbers Middle School in Grapevine, Texas, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging transportation and distribution of child pornography. He made his first appearance in federal court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton and was detained. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to the complaint filed in the case, Oberlender knowingly used the Internet and Skype software to share a video file depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The criminal complaint was filed after law enforcement executed a search warrant at Oberlender’s residence in Grapevine on December 18, 2012.
A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. If convicted of this offense, however, Oberlender faces a maximum statutory penalty of not less than five or more than 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment.
