Charlottesville Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges
Charles Lindauer to Serve 108 Months in Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 03, 2011 |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—A local business owner who in August pled guilty to charges related to his possession and transportation of child pornography was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Charles Francis Lindauer, 41, of Charlottesville, Virginia, pled guilty in August to one count of possessing child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography. Today, he was sentenced to 108 months of federal incarceration and 20 years of supervised release thereafter. The defendant was also ordered to pay a penalty of $20,000, an amount which may change when restitution is decided at a later date.
“The disgusting practice of downloading and sharing child pornography is all too common in this community and across the country,” United States Attorney Timothy Heaphy said today. “While defendants like Mr. Lindauer employ increasingly sophisticated means to hide child pornography and mask its distribution, the law enforcement response to these awful crimes is also increasingly sophisticated. This case shows that federal and local investigators have penetrated the darkest corners of the underworld inhabited by child pornographers and met the predators who traffic in these images where they live. We will continue to prioritize these important investigations and bring criminals like Mr. Lindauer to justice.”
Mr. Lindauer’s cache of more than 2,000 images was discovered when FBI agents working in an undercover capacity were able to gain access to the defendants shared folders on a peer-to-peer software sharing website. Agents were able to preview the images Mr. Lindauer made available for sharing, determined the images were in fact images of child pornography, and charges were brought against the defendant.
“The receipt and transfer of images of child pornography is not a victimless crime,” U.S. Attorney Heaphy added. “The young people depicted in these photographs and videos are repeatedly victimized—first when the images are created, and again repeatedly as the images are distributed via the Internet. The victims of child pornography offenses must live with the reality that images of their abuse may forever be used by defendants like Mr. Lindauer in pursuit of perverse sexual desires.”
“The Internet, used properly, is a wonderful resource; however over the years it has been inappropriately utilized by criminals interested in child pornography and other crimes. The United States Attorney is correct in saying that the downloading of child pornography is not a victimless crime and The Richmond Division of the FBI will, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, continue to identify and investigate child pornography. Through these efforts we will work with the United States Attorney’s Office to bring individuals involved in this type of crime to justice and protect the youth in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division Michael F.A. Morehart.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Healey prosecuted the case for the United States.