Wooster Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a two-count indictment charging Ryan K. Klepper, age 24, of Wooster, Ohio, with receiving and transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment charges from on or about May 1, 2010 through May 1, 2011, Klepper received numerous computer image and video files, which files contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, the indictment charges that on or about May 2, 2011, Klepper transported in interstate commerce, from the State of Tennessee to the State of Ohio, a PNY Attache 2 GB USB drive, which USB drive contained numerous computer files containing visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.