Lancaster Man Sentenced for Attempting to Receive Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Joseph Marranca, Jr., 68, of Lancaster, New York, who was convicted of attempted receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to five year in prison and five years’ supervised release by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated the defendant posted an ad on Craigslist that read, in part, “looking for a teenager.” Marranca engaged in chat conversations online and began talking with a person who indicated that she was a 14-year-old girl. During those chats, the defendant asked the 14-year-old for pictures and made arrangements to meet her at a park. The individual that Marranca was actually chatting with was an undercover police officer. The defendant was arrested after he drove to the park to meet the officer.
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 sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge; and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.

Capitol Heights Pimp Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors

GREENBELT, MD—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Dennis Smith, a/k/a Domo, age 31, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, today to 150 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for transporting a minor to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking of a minor.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The sexual victimization and trafficking of children is among the highest criminal investigative priorities for the FBI here in Maryland,” said Stephen Vogt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This case highlights the exemplary work of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force and further validates the significant resources incorporated into working jointly with our law enforcement partners. The FBI pledges our firm commitment in finding, investigating, and prosecuting individuals who prey on young victims.”
According to Smith’s plea agreement, in October 2011, Smith met a 16-year-old female on a social networking site. After a month of engaging in computer chats and text messaging, Smith drove to the girl’s home and picked her up. After picking up two adult women, Smith drove them all to Richmond, where the women engaged in prostitution. Smith had the girl collect the money made by the two women for two days. Smith then photographed and advertised the girl online for sexual services. The 16-year-old engaged in commercial sex acts and provided the money she made to Smith. Smith then drove the three females back to Maryland, where he again advertised the 16-year-old for sexual services. The next day the girl returned home.
In February 2012, Smith again picked up the 16-year-old and another 15-year-old female from their high school and took them back to his home. In March 2012, law enforcement was notified that Smith was prostituting the 15-year-old girl at a hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, through an online advertisement. An undercover law enforcement officer set up a “date” with the 15-year-old girl. When the officer arrived at the hotel, he identified the 15-year-old girl, as well as a 17-year-old girl, who were engaged in prostitution. Smith was arrested at the hotel, and his laptop and cell phone were seized, along with tattoo equipment.
Smith admitted that he brought the 15- and 17-year-old girls to his hotel where he photographed them and advertised them online for sexual services. Smith instructed the younger girl on how much to charge clients for sexual services, and she provided the money she made from prostitution to Smith. There were text messages on Smith’s cell phone between Smith and the girls that related to the girls engaging in prostitution. Both the 15- and 16-year-old girls were tattooed with Smith’s nickname, “Domo.”
This case is part of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force efforts to combat child prostitution. The task force, created in 2010, is composed of 15 members representing 10 agencies, both state and federal. Since October 2011, the task force has recovered 32 juveniles and investigated 25 cases that have resulted in state and federal prosecutions. The task force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
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 for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who are prosecuting the case.

Oxon Hill Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

BALTIMORE—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Raymond Talley, III, age 34, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, today to five years in prison, followed by six years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography. Chief Judge Chasanow ordered that upon his release from prison, Talley 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 and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Washington Field Office.
According to the plea agreement, on three occasions in August and September 2011, undercover law enforcement agents downloaded child pornography from files that Talley was sharing over the Internet using a file sharing program. On October 7, 2011, two laptops, both with file sharing programs installed, were seized during a search of Talley’s home. Over 1,700 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct had been downloaded and saved onto the laptops.
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 for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the case.

Pimp Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Prostituting a Child Online

GREENBELT, MD—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Melvin Douglas, a/k/a Melvin Longwood, age 32, of Washington, D.C., today to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for transporting a minor across state lines to engage in prostitution. Judge Chasanow ordered that upon his release from prison, Douglas 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; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, as part of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.
According to Douglas’ plea agreement, from September 5, 2011 to February 9, 2012, Douglas transported a minor female from Washington, D.C. to hotels in Maryland to engage in prostitution. The Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit received a missing child alert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for a 15-year-old female who had been reported missing from Prince William County, Virginia. The Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force located an ad on a website frequently used to advertise prostitution and escort services that featured the missing girl.
A “date” was made with the victim using the telephone number from the advertisement. A law enforcement officer was instructed to meet the girl at a motel in College Park, Maryland, on February 9, 2012. An agent saw Douglas and another individual exit the motel room a few minutes before the arranged time for the date and approach an SUV. Douglas was stopped and searched. A room key and $3,000 were seized. The missing girl was found in the motel room and interviewed. She confirmed that Douglas kept all the money she earned by prostitution.
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.
The case was part of the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force efforts to combat child prostitution. The Task Force, created in 2010 is composed of 15 members representing 10 agencies, both state and federal. Since October 2011, the TF has recovered 32 juveniles and investigated 25 cases that have resulted in state and federal prosecutions. The task force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Maryland State Police, Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley, who prosecuted the case.

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—James Wendell Brown, 51, of Warrenton, Virginia, pled guilty today to a federal charge of distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Debra Evans Smith, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Brown entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Richard J. Leon is to sentence him on April 23, 2013. Brown faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment as well as a fine of $250,000. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely sentencing range of between 151 and188 months in prison.

According to the government’s evidence, on March 5, 2012, Brown contacted a man he believed to be the father of a 12-year-old girl on a social network site. That man turned out to be an undercover officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Over the next few days, Brown engaged in online e-mail and instant message conversations with the undercover officer. During this period of time, Brown sent the undercover officer three images of child pornography that depicted adult men engaged in sexual acts with children. During the course of his conversations with the undercover officer, Brown acknowledged having sexually abused young children in the past.

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, Acting Assistant Director in Charge Smith, and Chief Lanier praised the MPD detectives and special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Last and Ari Redbord, who are prosecuting the case.

Thornton Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

DENVER—Daniel Ivan Ashby, age 40, of Thornton, Colorado, was sentenced late last week by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Y. Daniel to serve 90 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, United States Attorney John Walsh and FBI Special Agent in Charge James Yacone announced. Following the 90-month (over seven years) sentence, Ashby was ordered to serve five years on supervised release. Ashby appeared at the sentencing hearing on bond and was remanded at its conclusion.

In 2011, Ashby was affiliated with Calvary Community Baptist Church and Community Christian School in Northglenn as a school administrator.

Ashby was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on July 9, 2012. He pled guilty to the possession of child pornography charge on October 4, 2012. He was sentenced on January 25, 2013.

According to the stipulated facts contained in a plea agreement, an investigation initiated by the FBI determined that a particular computer was sharing depictions that could be child pornography files from a computer that was used both in Peru and in Colorado. Further investigation determined that at least 125 such files of interest had been shared from the target computer between January 5 and October 30, 2011. FBI agents then determined through investigative means that the computer had accessed the Internet from an Internet protocol (IP) address assigned to a residence in Thornton, Colorado, where Daniel Ivan Ashby resided. FBI agents also found that the potential child pornography images had also been shared from another Colorado IP address, this one assigned to Calvary Community Baptist Church in Northglenn. Calvary Community Baptist Church operates a school named Community Christian School. The school’s website identified Ashby as the school administrator.

During undercover computer sessions, FBI agents were able to determine that the computer in Thornton was sharing multiple files of interest. After downloading the files of interest, the FBI determined the images were child pornography. On December 2, 2011, the FBI obtained a search warrant for the Thornton residential address. During the execution of that warrant, law enforcement officers seized several electronic items, including two laptops. Interviews with the occupants of the residence revealed that Daniel Ivan Ashby did download child pornography.

Following the execution of the search warrant in Thornton, law enforcement officers and Ashby drove separately to Calvary Community Baptist Church/Community Christian School in Northglenn. Agents obtained consent to search the computers at this location. Church and school computers did not contain child pornography.

“The defendant in this case ran a Christian school while possessing child pornography,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “His 90-month sentence demonstrates that those who possess child pornography, especially those in a position of trust, face lengthy prison sentences.”

“Individuals who are investigated, prosecuted, and appropriately sentenced for their heinous acts against defenseless children can never be disregarded as merely someone who is looking at pictures,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge James Yacone. “This case demonstrates what investigative agencies and our United States Attorney’s Office can accomplish by working together.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Innocent Images Task Force.

Ashby was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bergsieker.

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.”

Registered Sex Offender Faces Life in Prison

PHOENIX, AZ—On December 23, 2011, Darren Quesada, 44, of Whiteriver, Arizona, was found guilty of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact with a minor by a federal jury in Prescott.

The case was tried before U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg and the defendant is being held until sentencing before Judge Teilborg on April 2, 2012.

The jury found the defendant guilty of sexually abusing two minor children in 2009 and 2010. The jury also made special findings that the defendant was previously convicted of a federal sex offense involving a minor in 1997 when the defendant was almost 30 years of age. As a result of that offense he entered into a plea agreement and was convicted in May 2000 and was required to register as a sex offender.

A conviction for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor with a prior conviction for a federal sex offense involving a minor carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney, Dimitra H. Sampson, District of Arizona, Phoenix.