By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A former Tenino Elementary School teacher who was also a Boy Scout volunteer pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography following a plea agreement with federal authorities in connection with his arrest earlier this year.
James D. Mobley was arrested when his home was searched last January by law enforcement who turned up 650 images and 45 videos he purchased from a Toronto-based web site billing itself as a provider of naturist films, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mobley was described by federal authorities as a teacher who was also a private tutor and active as a volunteer with Boy Scouts.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the 47-year-old will undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and sexual deviancy treatment, register as a sex offender and be recommended for a four-year prison term, according to spokesperson Emily Langlie.
When he is sentenced on March 21 in U.S. District Court, the judge is free to impose up to the maximum of 20 years, however, according to Langlie.
Mobley is one of 348 people arrested worldwide, so far, as part of what was dubbed Project Spade, an investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service of the international business Azovfilms.com, according to a news release.
The investigation has resulted in 386 children rescued from direct abuse and exploitation, according to the news release.
When a search of Azovfilms was conducted in March 2011, hundreds of child pornography DVDs and business records were seized. Mobley’s multiple purchases were made between February 2009 and January 2011, according to Langlie.