Atlanta, GA--  On Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using a federal information sharing capability in Hall and Whitfield counties that helps federal immigration officials use biometrics identify aliens, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States, who are booked into local law enforcement’s custody for a crime. This capability is part of Secure Communities—ICE’s comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of aliens convicted of a crime from the United States.

“The Secure Communities strategy provides ICE with an effective tool to identify criminal aliens in local custody,” said Secure Communities Assistant Director David Venturella. “Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE’s mission.

A former Hall County bus driver, John Copper Spinks of Oakwood, Georgia, was sentenced today to six years in federal prison for his convictions of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography.

Spinks was sentenced to six years in federal prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. He was also fined $2,000 with no chance of parole. According to United States Attorney Yates and the information presented during his guilty plea hearing on June 18, 2010, Spinks distributed images of child pornography over the internet to an undercover law enforcement officer who he encountered in a chat room named “Baby and Toddler Love".

In January 2010, Spinks was again found in a chat room known for trading images of child pornography. United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “As a school bus driver, this defendant was in daily contact with the children of Hall County.