| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 4, 2008 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN |
SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced that Remsen McGinnis Benedict pleaded guilty today to Receipt of Child Pornography. This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the Novato Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Office of Marin County District Attorney Edward S. Berberian, Jr.
In pleading guilty, Mr. Benedict admitted that on various dates in 2006 and 2007, he downloaded images of child pornography from the internet. Additionally, he admitted that he knew that the images depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Mr. Benedict, of Novato, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on January 22, 2008. He was charged with one count of Receipt of Child Pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2) and one count of Possession of Child Pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4). The indictment also sought the forfeiture of computer media on which Benedict allegedly possessed the images.
Following his entry of his plea of guilty, Benedict was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service by Judge William H. Alsup. The sentencing of Mr. Benedict is scheduled for December 2, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Alsup in San Francisco. The statutory penalty for Receipt of Child Pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2) is a mandatory minimum term of 5 years imprisonment, a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. Upon his conviction, Mr. Benedict will also be required to register as a sex offender. 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Marie Barton and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dorothy Chou Proudfoot are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon. This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Novato Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
Further Information:
Case #: CR 08-0082 SI
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