Thomas Reedy, 37, who is charged in an 87-count indictment alleging that he operated a conduit to child pornography Web sites, was denied bail by U.S. Magistrate Charles Bleil.

His wife, Janice Reedy, 31, is facing identical charges. On Wednesday, she was allowed to post a $50,000 surety bond after a two-day detention hearing. As one condition of her release, she cannot have a computer.

Child Protective Services also must be notified about the charges against the parents and relay to the court any concerns about the couple's 8-year-old daughter, Judge Bleil said.

The judge said the girl, who had attended school in the White Settlement school district, would remain in the custody of Mrs. Reedy's parents in Sonora.

"It will be a condition that your daughter conclude this school year at the school's she's in. She's been through a lot. Coming back here is not going to help her," the judge said.

Mrs. Reedy nodded as Judge Bleil spoke.

The judge also ordered her to find employment and said she could not travel outside of the state without permission from the court.

The judge ordered Mr. Reedy held in jail pending trial. "I find that Mr. Reedy is a risk of non-appearance," the judge said.

Assistant U.S. attorneys Terri Moore and Ron Eddins had argued that the Reedys are a threat to public safety and had put their home up for sale after the government seized some of their property in September.

Mr. Reedy "has international implications and connections," Ms. Moore said. She told the court that Mr. Reedy had made numerous trips to Mexico and had lived there.

Landslide Inc., the Reedys' credit verification business, helped three foreign Webmasters provide hundreds of thousands of images that depict children as young as 4 years old in violent sex acts, prosecutors said.

The Webmasters, who were indicted last week along with the Reedys, live in Indonesia and Russia, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said the couple's business was lucrative, taking in nearly $1.1 million in profits between October 1998 and September 1999.

Defense attorneys Wes Ball and Michael Heiskell portrayed their clients as well-meaning parents who provided a stable, caring environment for their 8-year-old daughter.

They told Judge Bleil that the couple played only a passive role in the Internet business and did not provide the lewd pictures used on the Web sites.

Forest Reedy, who owns an antiques store, testified that his son once worked as a nurse, caring for mentally retarded adults. He also said that Mr. Reedy adopted Ms. Reedy's daughter shortly after the couple married in 1998.

He said the couple placed him on the payroll as their business took off, offering bonuses to workers when profits exceeded their goals.

"I didn't have any job other than being the dad," said Forest Reedy, who said he was paid $1,200 every two weeks for an unspecified period. "Thomas was being a good son in helping his father."

Thomas Reedy is being held in the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth. He and his wife will be arraigned April 27 before U.S. District Judge Terry Means.