CHATTANOOGA, TN -— Denver C. Cole, 40, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga, to receipt of child pornography in interstate commerce by means of a computer.

Cole faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release of at least five years and up to life.

As set out in the plea agreement, in August 2010, an undercover online investigation by the Winchester Police Department discovered that a computer traced to Cole was using file-sharing software to make child pornography available on the Internet. Identified child pornography images were in Cole's shared folders. All of the child pornographic images were of real children. Two videos containing child pornography were downloaded by investigators, and a search warrant was obtained for the Cole's residence as a result. The search warrant was executed and Cole's computers and associated digital media were seized and subjected to forensic analysis by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Numerous videos and images downloaded from the Internet and containing child pornography, including known victims, were found on Cole's computers and digital media.

On July 26, 2011 a 24-count indictment was returned against Cole by a federal grand jury in Chattanooga. This indictment was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Winchester Police Department, Tullahoma Police Department, TBI, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terra Bay and Ann-Marie Svolto represented the United States.

Cole will be sentenced on May 21 in U.S. District Court in Tennessee.