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Press Release

Volusia County Man Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that William A. Harvey (50, DeLand) has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.  He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervision.  His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 11, 2015. Harvey was indicted on December 23, 2014.

According to court documents, Harvey produced child pornography at his residence on May 5, 2014.  His victim was a 16-year-old autistic girl.  Harvey took several photographs of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The girl told another individual the next day what had happened. Law enforcement was contacted and a state search warrant was executed on May 29, 2014.  During the execution of the search warrant, officers found a computer and an external hard drive in Harvey’s bedroom.  A subsequent forensic examination of the computer and hard drive revealed 20 pornographic images of the victim. The victim stated that Harvey had used a purple camera to take the photographs of her. That camera was also found during the search.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the DeLand Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

This 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 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.justice.gov/psc.

Updated April 1, 2015

Topic
Project Safe Childhood