MARYLAND MAN INDICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

WASHINGTON - Scott Carpenter, 44, of Dundalk, Md., has been indicted on eleven child pornography charges, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein of the District of Maryland announced today.

The indictment charges Carpenter with five counts of receipt of child pornography, five counts of transportation of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

The charges against Carpenter stem from a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) undercover operation which targeted individuals who use file sharing programs to trade child pornography images and video files. The undercover operation revealed that Carpenter used his computer to trade illegal files depicting pre-pubescent children engaged in various sexual acts.

If convicted, Carpenter faces a minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of 210 years in prison, and a lifetime of supervised release.

An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.

In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case is being prosecuted jointly by Trial Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie Greenberg of the District of Maryland. The case is being investigated by the FBI's Innocent Images Unit, in Calverton, Md.