Mono County Sex Offender Arraigned in Federal Court

SACRAMENTO, CA—Gene Wayne Harris, 41, of Mammoth Lakes, was arraigned in federal court today on a grand jury indictment that charged him with attempted production of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced
According to the indictment and statements made in court, between March 1, 2013 and March 8, 2013, while Harris communicated with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, he attempted to produce child pornography and attempted to entice a minor to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. He is a registered sex offender.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mono County District Attorney’s Office, and the Mammoth Lakes Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.
Because Harris has a prior conviction for sexual battery in violation of California law, if Harris is convicted of the production charge in the indictment, he faces a statutory penalty of 25 to 50 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime period of supervised release. If convicted of the enticement charge, he faces 10 years to life in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a lifetime period of supervised release. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sexual Predator Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

PHOENIX—On April 22, 2013, Jefferson Gatewood, 44, of Carrizo, Arizona, and a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, was sentenced by U.S. District Judges James A. Teilborg to 14 consecutive terms of life imprisonment. Gatewood was convicted at trial by jury on November 20, 2012, of 23 counts of aggravated sexual abuse and related charges, mostly involving minors, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
Gatewood was previously convicted of assault with intent to commit rape in an Arizona U.S. District Court in 1987, after he and two co-defendants gang-raped a 19-year-old girl at knifepoint.
At trial, 15 victims testified that Gatewood had sexually abused them and physically abused some of them as well. At the time they were abused, the victims ranged in age from 5 years old to their early 20s. Gatewood’s abuses began nearly 30 years ago, when he was still a teenager, and continued on a regular basis until 2010 when this investigation was initiated.
The indictment charged Gatewood with sexually abusing nine young girls and teens dating back to 1992. Other sexual assaults were either barred by the statute of limitations or took place off of the reservation and out of the jurisdiction of the federal court. Nonetheless, the victims of the uncharged assaults were allowed to testify at trial regarding their victimization pursuant to the Federal Rules of Evidence.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson and Sharon K. Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Spring Man Who Coerced 9-Year-Old to Take Nude Photo with Handheld Gaming Device Lands Significant Sentence

HOUSTON, TX—Spring resident Steve Correa-Franco, 33, has been ordered to prison for nearly 20 years following his convictions of enticement of a child and possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. He pleaded guilty to the charges Thursday, December 6, 2012.
Today, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake, took into consideration the seriousness of the crime and the need for deterrence and handed Correa-Franco respective sentences of 235 and 120 months for the enticement and possession convictions. The sentences will run concurrently. Additional information was also presented today, including a victim impact statement from the parents of the girl. In handing down the sentence, Judge Lake noted that the victim will carry the memory of what Correa-Franco did for a long time. Correa-Franco was further ordered to serve 25 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The charges against Correa-Franco arose in April 2012, when the Rochester, Minnesota Police Department responded to a complaint regarding the possible online solicitation of a 9-year-old child. The responding officer met with the child’s parents, at which time the father told police he had noticed the family computer open to the website www.kidzworld.com and saw that his daughter had been communicating with someone. The father further investigated his daughter’s online activity and accessed her Yahoo e-mail account. In the account, he found extensive chat logs between his daughter and an unknown person with a Yahoo username of “Steve Correa,” later identified as Correa-Franco. The majority of the chat activity occurred on April 6, 2012.
During the April 6 chats, the girl told Correa-Franco she was 9 years old. He said he was 16 years old and repeatedly discussed having sex with the young girl. He also sent the daughter several photos of himself that contained images of his face.
Correa-Franco asked the girl to take a nude photograph of herself, which she did using her Nintendo DS handheld game system. She took the photograph with the gaming system, uploaded it to her computer, and then e-mailed it to the address Correa-Franco had provided.
Law enforcement officers were able to trace the e-mail account to Correa-Franco’s residence in Spring. On May 18, 2012, a federal search warrant was executed, at which time agents seized Correa’s laptop computer. Agents were able to confirm the images e-mailed to the 9-year-old were, in fact, images of Correa-Franco.
A forensic analysis of the laptop computer resulted in the discovery of 210 digital videos of child pornography, including the lewd and lascivious exhibition of the genitals of minor children and actual sexual intercourse involving a nude minor female and adult male. The nude image of the 9-year-old victim taken by her at Correa-Franco’s urging was also discovered.
Correa-Franco will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Rochester, Minnesota Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stabe is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Twice Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography While on Federal Probation for Prior Sex Offense

GREENBELT, MD—Larry Poole, age 50, of Laurel, Maryland pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Chief Richard McLaughlin of the Laurel Police Department; and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to his plea agreement, on June 11, 2012, the Child Protective Services (CPS) received a report that Poole was sending text messages claiming to be molesting an unidentified 9-year-old girl. CPS referred the matter to the Laurel Police Department, who were not able to locate any child in Poole’s neighborhood matching the description used by Poole in his texts.
The Laurel Police subsequently learned that Poole was on federal probation and was registered as a sex offender based on two prior convictions: in 2003, of child abuse in Baltimore County Circuit Court; and in 2006, of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sex and possession of child pornography in federal court for the District of Columbia.
Laurel Police alerted Poole’s federal probation officer, who conducted a surprise visit to Poole’s residence on June 25, 2012. Poole consented to a preview of his cell phone, and the probation officer discovered videos and images of child pornography. Poole admitted that an individual brought child pornography to Poole’s home the previous day on a thumb drive or SD card and helped Poole load pornographic images of girls under 14 years old onto Poole’s computer and cell phone.
Laurel Police and the FBI executed a search warrant, seized Poole’s cell phone and computer, and discovered approximately six videos and 120 images of child pornography.
As part of his plea agreement, Poole must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Poole and the government have agreed that if the court accepts the plea agreement, Poole will be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2013, at 10:00 a.m.
MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members include federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit ww.justice.gov/usao/md/Human‑Trafficking/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Laurel Police Department and FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley, who prosecuted the case.

Justin Doucet Indicted and Arrested for Receipt of Child Pornography

Justin Doucet, age 20, a resident of Larose, was charged on Friday, April 12, 2013, in a one-count indictment by a federal grand jury for receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Dana Boente. Doucet was arrested at his home on April 15, 2013, by special agents of the FBI.
According to court documents, beginning at a time unknown and continuing until on or about February 8, 2012, the defendant knowingly received computer images and digital video files which contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
If convicted, Doucet faces a minimum term of imprisonment of five years and maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The defendant also faces a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Boente reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Dall Kammer.

Myles Fitzgerald Guidry Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

Myles Fitzgerald Guidry, age 48, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison by the U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown after previously pleading guilty to receiving images depicting the sexual victimization of children, announced U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente. Additionally, Judge Brown ordered that, after Guidry’s release from prison he will be placed under supervised release for the rest of his life.
According to court documents, in September 2012, Guidry downloaded images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children (child pornography) by receiving the images from other individuals with whom he communicated via the Internet. Pursuant to a search warrant, special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered one computer that was determined to contain images and videos of child pornography. Guidry used an Internet-based, real-time video chat program to communicate with multiple individuals. During the course of a chat session conducted using the program, Guidry requested that the individual(s) with whom he was communicating send him images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of children. In total, Guidry received approximately 50 such images of children as young as 4 years old being victimized by adults and other children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
This case was investigated by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

Lexington Man Sentenced to 103 Months for Receiving Child Pornography

LEXINGTON, KY—A Lexington man who admitted downloading child pornography images over the Internet was sentenced to 103 months in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced 33-year-old Jason Daniel Meade Thursday for receiving child pornography. In addition to the 103-month term, Judge Caldwell also ordered Meade to be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for the rest of his life.
According to court documents, Meade downloaded hundreds of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Meade’s sentence was enhanced because many of these images contained minors under the age of 12 and some were sadistic and violent in nature.
In September 2011, undercover law enforcement agents identified a computer in Lexington that was offering child pornography for downloading. Authorities traced the location of the computer to a locked room that Meade kept at his mother’s residence. During the execution of a search warrant at the residence, law enforcement found the images of child pornography on two computers and a CD.
Under federal law, Meade must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence and must register as a sex offender when he is released.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly announced the sentence today.
The investigation was conducted by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.

Watervilet Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—David Alan Inman, 51, of Watervliet, Michigan, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, to receiving child pornography videos via the Internet, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. Inman faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment, and he will be required to serve a term of supervised release after his prison term has been completed. Inman will also be required to register as a sexual offender.
The case stemmed from an online investigation that took place in late 2009. During that investigation, members of law enforcement learned that an individual, later identified as Inman, had made numerous items of child pornography available for download on the Internet. Agents ultimately executed two search warrants at Inman’s home and recovered a number of computers that contained a substantial collection of child pornography. Inman confessed to downloading child pornography images and videos from the Internet, and he further admitted to sharing child pornography with others via the Internet.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following website: www.justice.gov/psc.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case.

Silver Spring Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Providing a Minor with Heroin and Then Filming Her Engage in Sexual Activity

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Robert Chin, 66, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced today to 150 months in prison and a $7,000 fine, followed by a five year term of supervised release, for distributing heroin and oxycodone to numerous young women, including one minor with whom he exchanged narcotics for sex acts.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Stephen M. Hudson, Chief of the Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.
Chin pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2422(b) and distribution of heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 846 on January 4, 2013.
According to court documents, between 2008 and 2012, Chin distributed heroin and oxycodone to eight or more women, including a minor. In exchange for the narcotics, Chin either had these women engage in sex acts with him or in his presence. On one occasion in 2008, Chin rented a hotel room in Woodbridge, Virginia, and provided the minor with heroin. He then attempted to have sexual intercourse with her. On another occasion in June 2012, Chin rented a hotel room in Woodbridge, Virginia, where he provided heroin and oxycodone to the same minor. After providing the minor with narcotics, Chin filmed her as she engaged in sexual activity with three adults.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Prince William County / Manassas City / Manassas Park Narcotics Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Matt J. Gardner prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae.

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling into the District of Columbia to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor

WASHINGTON—Scott Richard Swirling, 62, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty today to traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Swirling entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable John D. Bates is to sentence him on July 11, 2013. Swirling faces a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the government’s evidence, on January 7, 2013, Swirling contacted a man he believed to be the father of an under-aged girl on a social networking site. That man turned out to be an undercover officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Over the next few days, Swirling engaged in graphic online e-mail and instant message conversations with the undercover officer. During these conversations, Swirling arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. Swirling traveled from Silver Spring to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., where he was arrested.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.

Kanawha County Resident Who Collected and Traded Child Pornography Gets Federal Prison Time

CHARLESTON, WV—A Kanawha County resident who collected more than 600 images of child pornography was sentenced on April 15 to two years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Michael Lee McCormick, 42, of Winifrede, Kanawha County, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in November 2012. McCormick admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of child pornography. McCormick also admitted that he downloaded the images on his computer. McCormick further admitted that he shared the images with other individuals using the Internet.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said, “Pedophiles like this defendant who download and trade child pornography encourage the abuse and exploitation of children. Behind every piece of child pornography traded over the Internet, there is a child somewhere who has been exploited in the most heinous way imaginable. I will continue to spare no effort in prosecuting these crimes against children.”
Goodwin continued, “This sentencing underscores the fact that sexual exploitation remains a serious problem.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney John Frail handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and follow the link named “Resources.”

New York Pimp Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

BALTIMORE—Charles Anderson, a/k/a “Chuck Corners,” a/k/a “Yowzer,” age 25, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According Anderson’s plea agreement, he assisted his co-conspirator, a long-time friend of Anderson’s, who targeted female prostitutes between the ages of 19 and 28, to force them to work for him by engaging in commercial sex acts in order to make money. Anderson helped his co-conspirator locate female prostitutes that were working alone (i.e., without the oversight of a pimp) by searching websites that hosted advertisements for commercial sex services and then called or text messaged the telephone numbers listed in the advertisements, masquerading as a prospective client to help his co-conspirator to schedule a hotel “date” with prostitutes. On other occasions, Anderson agreed to loan his cellular phone to his co-conspirator so he could call the prostitutes directly from an unrecognized telephone number. Anderson knew that his co-conspirator intended forcibly to coerce the girls to work as his prostitutes.
Anderson and the co-conspirator shared an apartment in Brooklyn, where Anderson saw the co-conspirator bring female prostitutes against their will. The prostitutes stayed in the co-conspirator’s room, where Anderson sometimes overheard his co-conspirator physically assaulting the females and forcing them to perform sex acts. On one occasion in the spring of 2010, his co-conspirator returned to the apartment with a prostitute who had been brought there against her will, while at least two additional females were already detained against their will within the co-conspirator’s bedroom. Anderson had agreed to monitor the involuntary detainees while his co-conspirator traveled for approximately six hours in search of an additional female prostitute in Maryland. Anderson also helped his co-conspirator locate female victims who had escaped. He was also aware that his co-conspirator had two firearms in the apartment, a .9mm pistol and a larger sub-machine gun, along with corresponding ammunition.
While his co-conspirator was incarcerated in the spring of 2010, Anderson agreed to hold the prostitutes’ earnings, which he later provided to his co-conspirator. These prostitutes both received clients inside the apartment and attended “outcall dates,” meeting clients at locations outside of the apartment.
Anderson faces a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2013, at 2:15 p.m.
The case was investigated by the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members of both task forces include federal, state, and local law enforcement. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force also includes victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md/Human-Trafficking/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI’s Baltimore and New York Field Offices and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the New York Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Crooks and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the case.

St. Mary’s County Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Exploiting Two Minor Girls to Produce Child Pornography

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Cary Anderson, age 33, of Dameron, Maryland, today to 25 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexually exploiting minors to produce child pornography. Judge Motz also ordered, that upon his release from prison, Anderson must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Richard Fritz.
According to that statement of facts that was part of his guilty plea, Anderson began sexually molesting a young girl when she was 11 years old. From February 17 to February 24, 2012, Anderson sexually exploited the girl, who was then 13 years old, and produced images documenting the abuse. Further, on February 24, 2012, Anderson also sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl he met on the Internet and brought to his home and produced visual depictions documenting the abuse.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas, assigned from the U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the case.

Baton Rouge Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced today that U.S. District Court Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Brad J. Case, age 30, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to a term of imprisonment of 96 months and 20 years’ supervised release after imprisonment. Case had previously pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.
On May 8, 2011, Case distributed 25 images of child pornography to an undercover special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Internet using a peer-to-peer file sharing program. The FBI was able to trace the source of the child pornography to an apartment located in Baton Rouge and rented by Case. On October 12, 2011, the FBI executed a search warrant at Case’s apartment and seized, among other things, a computer belonging to Case. A forensic examination of Case’s computer revealed several hundred images and numerous videos depicting child pornography.
This matter was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Dippel.

Coeur d’Alene Man Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation and Obscenity Charges

BOISE—Jeremy E. Durkin, 35, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, pleaded not guilty in federal court today to charges related to allegations of child exploitation and obscenity, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. A federal grand jury in Boise indicted Durkin on March 13, 2013, on one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity; one count of transferring obscene material to a minor; and one count of receiving sexually explicit images of a minor under the age of 16 years. The indictment alleges that the offenses occurred between December 2009 and July 2010.

The indictment alleges that Durkin was previously convicted in Kootenai County, Idaho, of sexual abuse of a child under age 16. Durkin was a registered sex offender at the time of the new allegations. He is currently an inmate at the Idaho Department of Correction.

The new federal crimes are punishable by up to life in prison.

A trial is set for May 21, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Idaho Department of Correction.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Watertown Man Sentenced to Nine Years on Child Pornography Charge

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Russell Forsman, 44, formerly of Watertown, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to nine years in prison for receiving child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 25 years of supervised release. Forsman pleaded guilty to this charge on January 22, 2013.

While noting that Forsman had numerous positives in his life, Judge Conley balanced that against the fact that Forsman’s interest in child pornography dated back to at least 2006. He also noted that Forsman took pictures of himself naked in public places and that he failed a polygraph test regarding sexual contact with minors.

The charges against Forsman were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Milwaukee Police Department. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Ceres Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—Senior United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Javier Rocha-Vasquez, 22, of Ceres, today to 97 months in prison for receiving child pornography, Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
The sentence imposed also includes a term of supervised release of 240 months during which the defendant will be required to register as a sex offender, and his access to minors, computers, and the Internet will be restricted. The court also ordered forfeiture of a computer used to commit the offense.
According to court documents, between October 2010 and December 28, 2010, Rocha-Vasquez received more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer via the Internet. Several of the images depicted prepubescent minors and some were depictions of violence and sadistic or masochistic conduct.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.

Fairfax County Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography and Attempted Enticement of a Minor

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Douglas Lee Payne Jr., 31, of Fairfax County, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to three child exploitation related charges.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Lt. Colonel James A. Morris, Acting Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Payne pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, which each carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 25 years and a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. This sentence has been enhanced due to a prior conviction of using a computer to solicit a minor in Fairfax County. Payne also pleaded guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 5, 2013.
According to court documents, during the investigation of a Fairfax County probation violation in December 2011, electronic communications between Payne and a minor victim in Indiana and another minor victim in Pennsylvania were discovered. In these text messages and online chats, Payne requested that the minor victims send him nude images of themselves. Payne also instructed the minor females on how to pose in various sexually revealing positions. Payne possessed at least one child pornography image of each minor victim which they had sent in response to his request. Payne and the minor victim located in Indiana also had specific conversations about Payne going to Indiana and having sex with her there. On December 28, 2011, while Payne was on his way to Indiana, he was instructed to return home for a meeting with his Fairfax County probation officer.
This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Alicia J. Yass, a Trial Attorney with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.

Wallingford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trading Child Pornography

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that Peter C. Johns, 39, of Wallingford, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for trading child pornography on the Internet.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 24, 2010, a detective assigned to the Richmond (Virginia) Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and acting in an undercover capacity logged into a publicly available Internet file sharing program and downloaded several images and videos of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by Johns.
On March 25, 2011, Johns was arrested at his residence. On that date, law enforcement agents also seized his computer and related components. Forensic analysis of the seized computer and components revealed that Johns used the Internet to trade thousands of images and videos of child pornography. Included in his collection of child pornography were images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct and images of children engaging in sadistic or masochistic conduct.
Johns has been released on bond under electronic monitoring by the U.S. Probation Office since shortly after his arrest. On January 7, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Connecticut State Police and Wallingford Police Department provided assistance to the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarala V. Nagala.
The Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes against children occurring over the Internet, and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the task force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Former Pastor Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

DENVER—Richard Howard Craft, age 69, of Thornton, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson to serve 120 months (10 years) in federal prison for possession of child pornography, United States Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven Olson announced. Following his 10 years in prison, Craft is to spend five years on supervised release. He is also to register as a sex offender. Judge Jackson scheduled a hearing for June 6, 2013, to determine the amount of restitution victims should receive. Craft, who is free on bond, was ordered to report to a Bureau of Prisons facility once one is designated.
Craft was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on August 20, 2012. He pled guilty before Judge Jackson on November 5, 2012. He was sentenced on April 1, 2013.
Prior to his arrest, Craft was an interim pastor of Family of Christ Presbyterian Church of Greeley.
According to the facts contained in court documents, on December 23, 2009, an FBI special agent in Philadelphia, operating in an undercover capacity, accessed the Internet and connected to a publicly available peer-to-peer file sharing program. The FBI agent observed numerous files depicting child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the files were being shared from Craft’s computer located at his Thornton, Colorado residence.
As a result of the investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained an indictment. Ultimately, Craft pled guilty to the possession of child pornography that had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, between July 2007 and January 2008.
Craft also forfeited any and all of his rights, title, and interest in the child pornography images, the computers containing child pornography, and any other real or personal property he used or intended to be used to commit or promote the commission of the offenses.
“As the defendant told Judge Jackson during his sentencing hearing, sexual predators view children as objects for gratification, not human beings to nurture,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “The lengthy prison sentence is a result of the fact of the defendant’s compulsive viewing of child pornography.”
“The FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Program will continue to aggressively investigate cases that involve possession of child pornography in order to protect our children from predators on the streets and online,” said FBI Denver Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven Olson.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Program.
Craft was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Bergsieker and Alecia Riewerts Wolak and Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Trial Attorney Michael Grant.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab “Resources.”

Turlock Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—Charles Albert Risley Jr., 54, of Turlock, pleaded guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to one count of receipt of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, a Ceres Police Department detective determined that Risley was making files of child pornography available to users of a file sharing network in July and August 2012. Risley had been convicted in Merced County in 1993 for committing lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 and received a six-year prison term for that conviction. Again, in 2004, he was convicted in Stanislaus County for possession of child pornography. Risley admitted in court today that between July 20, 2012 and September 1, 2012, he used the Internet to receive more than 600 images of child pornography. Many of the images depicted prepubescent minors, and several depicted violence or sadistic or masochistic conduct.
Risley is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2013. He faces 15 to 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ceres Police Department. Risley has been in federal custody since October 12, 2012, and he has been ordered detained as a flight risk and danger to the community. Assistant United States Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.

Gila River Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Abusive Sexual Contact

PHOENIX—On March 27, 2013, Keith Patrick Manuel, 40, of Bapchule, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier to 180 months in prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Keith Manuel pleaded guilty on January 15, 2013, to abusive sexual contact.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Raynette M. Logan and Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Navajo Man Sentenced to 180 Months’ Imprisonment for Sexual Abuse

PHOENIX—On April 1, 2013, Kelbert Jay Nez, 22, of Leupp, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 180 months’ imprisonment. Nez pleaded guilty to sexual abuse.
Nez was charged by indictment with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c), and one count of sexual abuse, pursuant to pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2242(2). The charges in the indictment addressed the sexual abuse of two minor victims, ages 10 and 13 at the time of the abuse. The offense occurred on the Navajo Reservation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Cassie Bray Woo, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Greece Man Arrested, Charged with Production of Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Terrance Junot III, 36, of Greece, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant engaged in a series of sexually explicit online communications with a 13-year-old child. During those communications, Junot persuaded the child to produce sexually explicit photographs of themself, which the child then sent to him over the Internet. During these chats, the defendant also sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the child.
The case came to the attention of law enforcement after the child’s mother found this material on the child’s phone. She recognized the defendant as someone who was known to the family and took the phone to the Greece Police, who began an investigation. In the course of their investigation, Greece Police executed several search warrants and searched the victim’s cell phone. Following their discovery of sexually explicit pictures of the victim, Greece Police contacted the FBI Cyber-Crimes Task Force for assistance.
“This case is another example of why it is so important for parents to monitor the computer and cell phone usage of their children,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “The victim’s mother checked the her child’s cell phone, found the photographs, and immediately reached out to police. As in this case, if you see something, please say something and then law enforcement can do something.”
The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman. Junot is being detained pending a detention hearing March 25, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Feldman.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Officers of the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Todd Baxter, and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Anthony Davis, 43, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty before Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that in July 2012, City of Rochester Police received a report of from an individual of a sexually explicit video of a seven-year old minor on a smart phone belonging to the defendant. The individual identified the minor victim and Davis’ voice from the video. The defendant admitted during the plea proceeding to using the minor to produce a sexually explicit image with his smart phone.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crime Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher Piehota, the City of Rochester Police Department under the direction of Chief James Sheppard and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Sandra Doorley.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Geraci.

New York Pimp Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

BALTIMORE—Charles Anderson, a/k/a “Chuck Corners,” a/k/a “Yowzer,” age 25, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According Anderson’s plea agreement, he assisted his co-conspirator, a long-time friend of Anderson’s, who targeted female prostitutes between the ages of 19 and 28, to force them to work for him by engaging in commercial sex acts in order to make money. Anderson helped his co-conspirator locate female prostitutes that were working alone (i.e., without the oversight of a pimp) by searching websites that hosted advertisements for commercial sex services and then called or text messaged the telephone numbers listed in the advertisements, masquerading as a prospective client to help his co-conspirator to schedule a hotel “date” with prostitutes. On other occasions, Anderson agreed to loan his cellular phone to his co-conspirator so he could call the prostitutes directly from an unrecognized telephone number. Anderson knew that his co-conspirator intended forcibly to coerce the girls to work as his prostitutes.
Anderson and the co-conspirator shared an apartment in Brooklyn, where Anderson saw the co-conspirator bring female prostitutes against their will. The prostitutes stayed in the co-conspirator’s room, where Anderson sometimes overheard his co-conspirator physically assaulting the females and forcing them to perform sex acts. On one occasion in the spring of 2010, his co-conspirator returned to the apartment with a prostitute who had been brought there against her will, while at least two additional females were already detained against their will within the co-conspirator’s bedroom. Anderson had agreed to monitor the involuntary detainees while his co-conspirator traveled for approximately six hours in search of an additional female prostitute in Maryland. Anderson also helped his co-conspirator locate female victims who had escaped. He was also aware that his co-conspirator had two firearms in the apartment, a .9mm pistol and a larger sub-machine gun, along with corresponding ammunition.
While his co-conspirator was incarcerated in the spring of 2010, Anderson agreed to hold the prostitutes’ earnings, which he later provided to his co-conspirator. These prostitutes both received clients inside the apartment and attended “outcall dates,” meeting clients at locations outside of the apartment.
Anderson faces a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2013, at 2:15 p.m.
The case was investigated by the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members of both task forces include federal, state, and local law enforcement. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force also includes victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md/Human-Trafficking/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI’s Baltimore and New York Field Offices and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the New York Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Crooks and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the case.

David Renz Indicted on Federal Child Pornography Charges

SYRACUSE, NY—A federal grand jury in Syracuse returned an indictment today charging David J. Renz, 29, of Cicero, New York, with one count of receiving child pornography and five counts of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If convicted, Renz faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison on the receiving child pornography charge; a maximum of 10 years in prison on each of the possession of child pornography charges; supervised release of no less than five years and up to life; and mandatory registration as a sex offender on all the charges.
Renz was previously arrested on January 9, 2013, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with these child pornography charges. According to the indictment, between 2010 and June 2012, Renz received child pornography through the Internet using a homemade computer. The possession charges relate to five DVDs and CDs that Renz possessed at the time the FBI executed a federal search warrant at his residence on January 9, 2013.
On March 15, 2013, Renz was arrested again by state authorities in connection with a carjacking, murder, and rape in Clay, New York. U.S. Attorney Hartunian said, “In addition to our federal prosecution of the child pornography charges, my office is continuing to work closely with the Onondaga County District Attorney on these horrific carjacking, murder, and rape offenses.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Fletcher. For further information, please contact Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney John G. Duncan at (315) 448-0672.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Hunterdon County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Distributing Videos of Child Sexual Abuse Over the Internet

TRENTON, NJ—A Hunterdon County, New Jersey man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for distributing images of child sexual abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
John Livoti, 42, of Hampton, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Livoti admitted that from May 2011 through February 2012 he used peer-to-peer file sharing software to download and to share images of child pornography through the Internet. He accessed the Internet through his neighbor’s wireless Internet connection. He further admitted that for a period of time in 2011, he paid for a minor, living in another state, to access the peer-to-peer network so that the minor could access child pornography.
Special agents of the FBI and other law enforcement executed a search warrant at Livoti’s apartment in Hampton, New Jersey, on February 2, 2012. Law enforcement seized a netbook computer and an external hard drive that contained child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III; and Hunterdon County Chief of Detectives John J. Kuczynski with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Livoti to lifetime supervised release, with restricted contact with minors, and ordered him to pay $5,000 in restitution. He must also register as a sex offender.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Clabby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

Newton County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Violations

BEAUMONT, TX—A 61-year-old Deweyville, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Mark James Frederick pleaded guilty on October 30, 2012, to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark.
According to information presented in court, on January 14, 2011, police received a report claiming a minor had been sexually assaulted by Frederick. The minor provided a statement to police that Frederick sexually assaulted her on several occasions, and, on at least one occasion, took Polaroid photographs of her engaged in actual or simulated sexual acts. Federal officials executed a search warrant at Frederick’s residence in Deweyville, Texas, and seized a laptop computer and numerous compact discs. Although photographs of the minor were not found, a forensic examination of the seized items revealed more than 600 images of child pornography. Some of the material included prepubescent children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Frederick was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 5, 2012, and charged with child pornography violations.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice.

Memphis Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

MEMPHIS, TN—Vincent Jones, 26, of Memphis, was sentenced to 120 months in prison today for conspiracy to engage in child sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion by United States District Judge Samuel H. Mays, Jr., announced United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III and Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Federal Bureau of Investigation Field Office Aaron T. Ford.
According to the indictment, in the summer of 2011, Jones and his co-defendant, Kala Bray, lured two Memphis-area juveniles to Houston, Texas, with promises of a trip to a water park. Bray and Jones plied the teens with drugs including Oxycontin and Xanax and made the juveniles engage in commercial sex acts both in Memphis and Houston. Jones pled guilty to the sex trafficking conspiracy on July 7, 2012.
U.S. District Judge Samuel H. Mays also ordered Jones to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison. Kala Bray, Jones’ co-defendant, pled guilty to the same conspiracy charge on November 4, 2011, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison on October 11, 2012. Parole is not a possibility in the federal system.
“This office will utilize every available resource to ensure that our children are protected from those who seek to exploit them through the unspeakable act of sex trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Stanton. “Today’s sentence should send a clear message that we have zero tolerance for any form of sex trafficking, and those who engage in such activity will be aggressively prosecuted and ultimately brought to justice.
“Sex trafficking is not just an international or a national problem, it is also a local problem, and we need to remain alert to this issue and address it vigilantly,” said Aaron T. Ford, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “This sentencing, the result of the coordinated and aggressive efforts from the FBI and our law enforcement partners, demonstrates our intent to put an end to this type of predatory operation and free the victims.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation working in conjunction with the Memphis Police Department, the Bartlett Police Department, and the Houston Police Department. FBI Special Agent Michael Saltsman was the lead investigator on the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti from the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Trial Attorney Mike Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Wheeling Resident Enters Plea to Possession of Child Pornography

WHEELING, WV—A 25-year old Wheeling, West Virginia resident entered a plea of guilty on March 25, 2013, in United States District Court in Wheeling before Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced that Jeffrey Joseph Oliver entered a plea of guilty to possession of child pornography on June 12, 2012, in Wheeling. As part of his plea, Oliver will forfeit the computer and all storage devices, including approximately 181 CDs and DVDs, a cell phone, and a Playstation and memory card that were seized on June 12, 2012. Oliver, who is free on bond, faces a maximum exposure of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. This case was prosecuted by by Assistant United States Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. and was investigated by the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.