Gretna Man Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that GIORDIO COSENZA, age 28, of Gretna, was charged today in a one-count Bill of Information with distributing images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

If convicted, COSENZA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than twenty years imprisonment, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine per count.  He can also be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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.

U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the Bill of Information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.