Elizabeth City Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Child Pornography

RALEIGH—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court here today United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced DANIEL CARL SHERWIN, 30, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to 720 months’ imprisonment.

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on August 21, 2008. On November 24, 2008, SHERWIN pled guilty to two counts of manufacturing child pornography. In December, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received information that child pornography was being posted on FLICKR, an online photo sharing site that allows users to post photographs and feedback from other members of the photography community, and that sexually explicit images of children were being posted in a private group. The investigation revealed that from a computer where he was employed, SHERWIN was participating in an online group that posted sexually explicit images of children.

Agents from the FBI in North Carolina were notified and interviewed SHERWIN. Forensic examination of SHERWIN’s computer revealed at least 22 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts. Further forensic examination of SHERWIN’s digital camera and memory stick, revealed that SHERWIN had taken sexually explicit photographs of two infant children.

SHERWIN had been convicted in 2003 in the State of Utah of eight counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and was a registered sex offender.

Mr. Holding commented, “This case is a painful illustration of the dangers presented by the growing prevalence of child sexual exploitation crimes. This defendant had previously been prosecuted for his use of child pornography under laws that provided no serious punishment for his conduct. As a result, two innocent children have now suffered harms we can never completely repair. Child pornography crimes, in every form, represent a grave danger to our community.”

This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Exum served as prosecutor for the government.