Lake Wales Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

TAMPA—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Paul Henry Carlin (58, Tampa) with transportation and receipt of child pornography. If convicted, Carlin faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.

According to the indictment, between May 29, 2012 and December 5, 2012, Carlin transported and received files containing child pornography by using the Internet.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

It is another case 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.”