ICE arrests 3 other area defendants on unrelated child pornography
charges

SAN DIEGO – A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 20 years
in federal prison for possession of child pornography following an
investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jerry Louis Tintsman, 69, of San Diego, was sentenced Monday in
federal court by U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez. At the
hearing, Judge Benitez told Tintsman, "This is one of the longest
sentences I have ever imposed, and you sir, are deserving of it."

Tintsman has been in federal custody since his arrest by HSI special
agents October 18, 2010. Following his arrest, special agents executed
a federal search warrant on Tintsman's home computer where more than
600 images of child pornography were discovered. He pleaded guilty to
federal child pornography charges in December 2010.

Tintsman was previously convicted of felony charges for lewd acts
involving two girls under age 14 and was listed on the California
Megan's Law registered sex offender database at the time of his
arrest.

"This sentence should serve as a warning to those who seek to
victimize and rob young children of their innocence," said Derek
Benner, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. "HSI will continue
to aggressively hunt down child predators who use the Internet to prey
on vulnerable children. We will ensure this type of criminal activity
is pursued and child predators are held accountable for their
despicable behavior."

According to the court documents, Tintsman engaged in an online chat
with an undercover HSI special agent whom he thought was the mother of
a seven-year-old daughter. During the chat, Tintsman revealed he had a
sexual interest in children five and older and told the undercover
agent he wanted to engage in sexual conduct with the fictitious seven-
year-old daughter. He then told the undercover agent he had dated the
mother of his two prior victims.

Tintsman's sentencing comes less than a week after federal agents from
the HSI cybercrimes unit in San Diego arrested three San Diego-area
men on federal child pornography charges as part of an ongoing sex
predator investigation. All three were taken into custody for
possession of child pornography and will be prosecuted in federal
court.

The individuals arrested are:
James Achenbach, 52, of National City;
Derek Trunk, 34, of San Diego; and
Kenneth Cox, 68, of Escondido.

These investigations are part of HSI's Operation Predator, a
nationwide initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who
sexually exploit children, and the Department of Justice's Project
Safe Childhood, which marshals federal, state and local resources to
locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via
the Internet.