Smithton Man Charged in Child Pornography Case

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on May 19, 2010, JOSHUA BURGARD, age 21, of Smithton, Illinois, was named in an indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois, charging him with two counts of receiving child pornography. The indictment alleges that the offenses occurred between December 1, 2009, and January 30, 2010.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defendant faces a possible penalty of between five and 20 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, or both, and a supervised release term of at least five years up to life as to each count.

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.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Smithton Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Cybercrimes Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole E. Gorovsky.

Anyone who believes that he has information on this case is encouraged to contact the FBI at (618) 397-4401.