Editor held in child pornography case

Leonard Gray, managing editor of the L'Observateur newspaper and a former managing editor of the St. Charles Herald Guide, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and subsequently indicted on charges of possession and receipt of child pornography.

Gray is being held in the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center without bond and is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks.

According to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, Gray was arrested in Slidell on Aug. 17 by the Project Safe Childhood task force. Gray was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 24.

Gray could receive a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine and face a lengthy probabtion upon his release from prison, should he be convicted.

According to the indictment, Gray’s charges include the mailing, shipping and receipt of pornographic material involving a minor engaging in sexually explict conduct.

Project Safe Childhood was organized in February 2006, by United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and works in partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces to protect children from internet predators.