Federal Grand Jury Indictments

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that a federal grand Jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned indictments against the following:

Anderson Man Charged With Possession of Child Pornography
Kenneth Olbon Dew, age 54, of Anderson, was charged in a one-count indictment with possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B). The maximum penalty Dew could receive is 20 years’ imprisonment. The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen of the Columbia office for prosecution. This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Former Soldier Charged with Possession of Child Pornography
Nicholas Jay Lake, age 32, of Oak Grove Kentucky, was charged in a one-count indictment with possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B). The maximum penalty Lake could receive is 10 years’ imprisonment. The case was investigated by agents of the United States Army and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office for prosecution. This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

North Carolina Man Charged with Tobacco Tax Evasion
William Bradford Ellis, Sr., age 62, of High Point, North Carolina, was charged in a one-count indictment with evasion of tobacco tax, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5762. The maximum penalty Ellis could receive is five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office for prosecution.

North Augusta Pair Charged with Social Security Fraud
Pat Joseph Carroll, age 55, and Courtney Ann Carroll, age 27, both of North Augusta, were charged in a two-count indictment with Social Security fraud, a violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(4) and theft of government funds, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. The maximum penalty they could receive is 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by the United States Social Security Administration and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these Indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.