FEDERAL INDICTMENT ACCUSES FORMER GARY POLICE COMMANDER OF ENTICING A MINOR TO PRODUCE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
A former Gary Police Officer was arrested today on federal criminal charges for allegedly enticing a minor to produce and record sexually explicit conduct.
The Indiana State Police conducted an investigation into James Bond, former Commander with the Gary Police Department at the request of Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon in July of 2024.
JAMES W. BOND, 52, of Crown Point, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and receiving and possessing child pornography, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Hammond.
The indictment alleges that Bond, while serving as a Commander with the Gary Police Department earlier this summer, enticed and coerced a minor to produce sexually explicit conduct and send it to Bond. At the time, the minor was employed by the City of Gary as part of the Summer Youth Employment Program.
Bond was arrested Thursday morning. His initial court appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Abizer Zanzi in U.S. District Court in Hammond.
The indictment and arrest were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas G. Carter, Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois upon recusal by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The exploitation count is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years. The receipt count is punishable by a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years, while the possession count carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
If you believe that you or someone you know may have been victimized by James W. Bond, you are encouraged to contact Homeland Security Investigations by calling 1-877-4-HSI-TIP. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
