A Roanoke man pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he sexually molested a boy who is now 8 years old, in a case that resulted from an international investigation targeting child pornography.

Timothy Preston Elder, 49, faced two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Each time Roanoke Circuit Judge Clifford Weckstein asked "How do you plead?" Elder tearfully mumbled "Guilty." The charges together carry a possible maximum punishment of two life terms plus 40 years.

The events that led to Elder's plea began with Operation Falcon, an undercover investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that pursued an Internet subscription company based in Belarus called Regpay.

The company processed payments for access to about 50 child pornography Web sites scattered worldwide, said Allan Doody, special agent in charge of the Washington, D.C., field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Records collected through Operation Falcon contain addresses of thousands of people throughout the world who subscribed to this company. "About 12,000 customers of Regpay have been arrested for transmitting and possessing child pornography," Doody said. "We've arrested doctors. We've arrested policemen. We've arrested all different types of people in this particular operation."

According to a summary of evidence by Assistant Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Alice Ekirch, one of the addresses collected was Elder's, obtained after a search warrant was executed on a Regpay server located in Florida.

On Oct. 20, federal investigators arrived at Elder's home in Southwest Roanoke, accompanied by Roanoke police. They did not have a search warrant. However, when they spoke to Elder, he quickly admitted to having child pornography on his computer.

Elder also admitted to having a sexual relationship with a boy, now 8, who was an acquaintance, Ekirch said. The charges against him span a period from January 2001 to the day he confessed to investigators.

Police seized Elder's computer, as well as videotapes, floppy disks and CD-ROMs that contained more than 1,000 images of child pornography, Ekirch said. Elder also made videotapes of himself molesting the boy, she said. Ekirch showed parts of a compilation videotape in court. As Weckstein watched, he often appeared upset.

"I think it's important for the court to understand how twisted this man is," Ekirch said.

Elder wept throughout the hearing. Once the showing was over, Elder tearfully retorted, "I'm not twisted."

Elder's defense attorney, Michelle Derrico, said Wednesday evening that Elder chose to plead guilty in part to protect the boy from having to testify. "I think the degree of his remorse is tremendous."

Elder's sentencing is scheduled for May 10.