| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2007 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN |
SAN FRANCISCO– United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that on October 18, 2007, a federal grand jury in Oakland indicted Scott Wayne Sweeden, previously of Napa, California, for transporting and possessing child pornography. These charges are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to the Indictment, Mr. Sweeden, 44, is alleged to have transported child pornography interstate on or about January 11, 2006, and possessed pornography in or about May 2006. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of two computers that are alleged to have been used or intended to be used in the commission of the offenses.
On November 29, 2006, Mr. Sweeden pled guilty in Napa County Superior Court to 10 counts of committing lewd acts upon a child. Mr. Sweeden is presently serving an eight year sentence in California state prison for these state offenses.
“This case demonstrates the undeniable connection between consumers of child pornography and those who prey upon children,” said U.S. Attorney Schools. “Child pornography is not simply fantasy. Real children were exploited when these images were produced and exploited again each time they are viewed.”
The maximum statutory penalty for transporting child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(1) is 20 years imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years, and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for possessing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B) is 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Mr. Sweeden must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Andrew S. Huang is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Margaret Glyer. The prosecution is the result of an investigation spanning over two years by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Further Information:
Case #: CR07-00660
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Natalya LaBauve at (415) 436-7055 or by email at Natalya.LaBauve@usdoj.gov.