Home Jacksonville Press Releases 2010 Shalimar Man Apprehended on Federal Child Exploitation Charges
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Shalimar Man Apprehended on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

U.S. Attorney’s Office July 20, 2010
  • Northern District of Florida (850) 942-8430

PENSACOLA, FLUnited States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida, announced that Kenneth Sweeney, 69, of Shalimar, was arraigned yesterday in federal district court in Pensacola on an indictment charging that he traveled abroad to engage in sexual acts with minors.

The federal indictment alleges that between October 2002 and June 2004, Sweeney traveled from Florida to multiple countries in the Middle and Far East to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors. Sweeney is also charged with the possession of child pornography.

Sweeney was outside the United States when the indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Pensacola in early 2007. Working with Interpol and the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation located Sweeney in the Philippines last month. Sweeney was detained in the Philippines on these charges and deported back to the United States.

Sweeney’s trial is scheduled for August 23, 2010, before Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson.

If convicted, Sweeney faces a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment for traveling to engage in sexual acts with minors and a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

An indictment is merely a formal charge by the grand jury. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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