Charlotte County Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 06, 2012 |
FORT MYERS, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Kenneth Sylvester Barton (62, Port Charlotte) with possession of child pornography. If convicted of the charge, Barton faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the criminal complaint, from April 26, 2012 through June 5, 2012, a task force agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an online investigation to locate individuals using peer-to-peer software to obtain and/or distribute child pornography. During the course of the investigation, an Internet protocol (IP) address identifying Barton as the subscriber was located. On June 5, 2012, a search warrant was executed at Barton’s residence. Agents seized multiple computers and external hard drives. A forensic preview of two of the computers seized revealed approximately 19 videos depicting child pornography.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Innocent Images Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava. It is another case 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”