Avon Lake Man Charged with Receiving, Distributing, and Possessing Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

William D. Carney, 19, of Avon Lake, Ohio, was charged with receiving, distributing, and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charges that from on or about April 7, 2011, through on or about May 10, 2011, Carney knowingly received and distributed, by computer, numerous computer files, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Images of child pornography were found on his Macbook laptop following a search on August 19, 2011, according to court documents.

If convicted, the sentence in this case will be determined by the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the unique characteristics of the violation.

In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol M. Skutnik. The case was investigated by the Elyria Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Avon Lake Police Department.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.