St. Petersburg Man Arrested on Charges of Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography

TAMPA, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the arrest of Andrew Dennis Kromer (33, St. Petersburg), on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. If convicted, Kromer faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on the distribution charge, and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison on the possession charge.

According to the complaint, Kromer used a social networking website to share and receive numerous images of prepubescent boys engaging in explicit sexual activity. Based upon the investigation into the origin of these photographs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained and executed a federal search warrant at a residence in St. Petersburg. During the search on June 13, 2012, agents located and seized a laptop computer belonging to Kromer, on which agents preliminarily located hundreds of images of child pornography. The details of the charges and arrest are set forth in the criminal complaint.

A complaint is merely a charge that probable cause exists that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.

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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”