Dublin Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Possessing Hundreds of Images of Child Pornography

COLUMBUS, OH—Ian Kimmel, 31, of Dublin, was sentenced in United States District Court here to 24 months' imprisonment for having between 150 and 300 images on his personal computer depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He will also be required to be under court supervision for five years after he serves any prison time. Federal law will also require him to register as a sex offender.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Keith L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division (FBI), announced the sentence handed down by United States District Judge Gregory L. Frost.

Kimmel pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography on July 9, 2009. In September 2008 FBI agents in Oklahoma City investigating peer-to-peer file sharing programs tracked files depicting child pornography to a computer at Kimmel’s address. Task Force Officers from the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force located in Columbus obtained and executed a Federal Search Warrant at Kimmel’s Dublin home and seized numerous computers. Forensic reviews were conducted on each computer. The review of one of the laptop computers revealed nearly 300 images of child pornography.

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.

Stewart commended the investigation by FBI agents and task force officers, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hunter, who prosecuted the case.