WASHINGTON, — Concerned Women for America (CWA) praised the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for indicting the owner of numerous “adult” pornographic video stores in at least 18 states, along with six other individuals on racketeering, obscenity and tax charges. CWA says the DOJ’s indictment of this off-the-shelf, hard-core pornography, rather than just the most deviant material, should indicate to other such operators across the country that their illegal activity has not escaped the radar of federal prosecutors.

“This is the one we’ve been waiting for,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief counsel. “This is Mr. Big in the porn industry, and the indictment sends a strong message to the rest of the industry.”

Edward J. Wedelstedt, owner of Goalie Entertainment Holdings Inc., allegedly displays pornographic materials in the front rooms of his stores, with a back-room arcade where customers pay to view hard-core pornographic videos. The DOJ’s indictment also alleges that Wedelstedt engaged in contracts with owners of other pornographic bookstores across the country with the prerequisite of earning a percentage of the revenue. The charges also indicate that Wedelstedt did not report income to the U.S. government in order to avoid tax charges.

“This indictment is the first of its kind under Attorney General Gonzales, and we hope that prosecution of mainstream obscenity will be characteristic of his term,” said LaRue.