Newspaper Editor Moonlights as Child Pornagrapher

A federal grand jury Friday indicted the managing editor of a twice-weekly newspaper on charges of possession and receipt of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Leonard Gray, 52, of Waggaman, was arrested Aug. 17 in Slidell following an undercover investigation by the FBI, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said.

FBI agents searched Gray's home and found computer equipment and digital media that contained images depicting the sexual victimization of children, Letten said.

"Our office and the FBI have a proud and productive history of policing our community and our communications channels by effectively identifying, investigating and removing from our society those individuals who exploit the innocence of our children," he said.

Gray, who will be formally arraigned in the next few weeks, has been suspended from L'Observateur newspaper in LaPlace. He has worked at weekly newspapers in St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes for at least two decades.