Six Sentenced for Child Exploitation and Pornography Charges

Greek Man Sentenced for Traveling in Interstate Commerce with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Act with Minor

DENVER—Georgios Sgouros, age 43, of Athens, Greece, was sentenced this week by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Y. Daniel to serve 10 years in federal prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Following his prison sentence, Chief Judge Daniel ordered Sgouros to serve 10 years on supervised release, although the defendant is a citizen and national of Greece and therefore faces deportation.

Sgouros was charged by criminal complaint on June 16, 2010. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on July 12, 2010. He pled guilty to the travel with intent to engage in sexual conduct charge on December 1, 2011. He was sentenced on March 13, 2012.

According to court documents, on January 28, 2010, a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent posed in an undercover capacity as a single mother with two girls, ages 5 and 7. While in an undercover capacity, the special agent engaged in an Internet chat with Sgouros, who expressed interest in traveling to Colorado to have sex with the two children. During the chat, Sgouros and the undercover agent also discussed the logistics of where he would stay during his visit, and how they would meet up at the airport. During the next several months, Sgouros and the undercover agent exchanged e-mails as well as private chats on the Internet regarding Sgouros’ intention to engage in sexual activity with the children. On June 13th and 14th, 2010, the man, identified as Georgios Sgouros, e-mailed the undercover agent his travel itinerary from Athens, Greece to Denver. One June 15, 2010, Sgouros was admitted into the United States by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Philadelphia International Airport. He arrived in the U.S. aboard a flight from Amsterdam. He then flew from Philadelphia to Denver, where he was met by ICE special agents and taken into custody.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith.

Other Recent Project Safe Childhood Sentencings

• Michael Bilotta of Garfield County, Colorado, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane to serve 100 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release for possession of child pornography. On three separate occasions, the defendant was discovered sharing hundreds of gigabytes online, which constituted tens of thousands of images and videos of child pornography, including images of children as you as 10 years old. In total, Bilotta possessed over 100,000 images of child pornography. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
• Sean Scott of Pueblo, Colorado, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release for possession of child pornography. On two separate occasions, the defendant possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. He shared his collection of over 185 videos of child pornography online, and some of the videos depicted the sounds of the children’s abuse. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
• Daniel Petura of Arapahoe County, Colorado, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer to serve 78 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. The defendant bought a subscription to a website that provided child pornography and accessed the website approximately 4,000 times. Petura was found in possession of over 1,500 images of child pornography, some depicting infants, and some of which he had obtained from the subscription website. This case was investigate by ICE HSI. The defendant was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lillian Alves.
• Stephen Mark Erway of Denver, Colorado, was recently sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock for violating the terms of his probation for possession of child pornography. Erway was convicted in 1988 with crimes related to the sexual exploitation of minors, including child pornography. He served a prison sentence and was released on probation. While on probation, he violated the terms of his probation by improperly using computers and by engaging in online relationships with minors. This case was investigated by ICE HSI.
• James Matthew Allen of Denver, Colorado, was recently sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by 12 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Allen was a registered sex offender at the time he was discovered trading images of child pornography online. He was found in possession of just under 150 images of child pornography. This case was investigate by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith, the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section, prosecuted all the cases except the Petura matter.

“Prosecuting those engaged in the sexual exploitation of our children, whether they possess child pornography or whether they travel to our state with the intent of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, is one of this office’s highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “Thanks to the hard work of the FBI and ICE HSI, and thanks to the prosecutors tirelessly working these cases, defendants who produce, collect, or possess child pornography have been sent to prison for lengthy sentences.”

“The individuals that 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 Special Agent in Charge James Yacone. “These cases demonstrates what teamwork between investigative agencies and our United States Attorney’s Office can accomplish by working together and sharing resources and information.”

“Our nationwide Operation Predator program in Homeland Security Investigations aggressively targets and pursues prosecution for anyone who sexually exploits children,” said Michael Holt, Special Agent in Charge of ICE HSI in Denver. “These successful cases provide some small level of justice for the most vulnerable and innocent members of society.” Holt oversees a four-state area, including Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

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.projectsafechildhood.gov.