Jacksonville Man Indicted on Federal Child Pornography Charges

JACKSONVILLE, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announced today that Zacchaeus Andrew Crawford (25, Jacksonville) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jacksonville on child pornography charges. Crawford is charged with receipt, transportation, and possession of child pornography. On each of the receipt and transportation counts, Crawford faces at least five years and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. On the possession count, Crawford faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Crawford was arrested and had his initial appearance in federal court today. His arraignment and detention hearing will be held in federal court in Jacksonville before United States Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson on August 24, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. Until that time, Crawford remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Phoenix, Arizona. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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 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.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.