HUNTINGTON — A Putnam County man pleaded guilty Monday to possession and distribution of child pornography, according to court records.

Russell Eugene Lemon entered the plea in Huntington before U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Lemon, 40 at the time of the July 2009 indictment, made the admission without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Sentencing was set for May 10. The indictment carried the possibility of 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment had stemmed from a U.S. Postal Service investigation. Authorities executed a search warrant Aug. 21, 2008, at Lemon's residence, located in the 100 block of Fir Street in Eleanor, W.Va.

The search warrant affidavit was authored by U.S. Postal Service Inspector Ryan Amstone. It was based upon another inspector's undercover investigation, in which Lemon allegedly distributed about 15 images and videos containing child pornography. The affidavit states the items were transmitted March 27, 2008, over the Internet with communication through a popular messaging service.

Amstone’s colleague, Inspector Jude Densley, used a messaging screen name, a Internet protocol address and other records to identify Lemon as a suspect, according to the affidavit.

Amstone wrote his colleague was initially investigating another man, when Densley noticed that person was receiving child pornography from Lemon. Densley’s investigation documented suspicious e-mails between the two men dating back to Sept. 15, 2007.

Densley then created an undercover identity in February 2008. Densley started communicating with Lemon and that led to the March 27, 2008, transmission, according to Amstone’s affidavit.

The Postal Service in Eleanor told Amstone that Lemon maintained a post office box once held by his deceased mother. It also said Lemon would ride his bicycle to the post office to retrieve mail from the box, according to the affidavit.

The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles provided information linking Lemon to both the post office box and the Fir Street residence.

Amstone noticed a bicycle at the residence when he conducted surveillance.

The search warrant netted a laptop computer and a router, along with miscellaneous documents and pictures.

The indictment sought forfeiture of multiple items, including the laptop and a computer hard drive.

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