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Press Release

Polk County Man Charged In Federal Court For Possession Of Child Pornography

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

Tampa, FL - Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest of Eleftherios (Ted) Zachariadis (46, Lake Alfred) for possession of child pornography. If convicted, Zachariadis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Zachariadis was charged by criminal complaint on September 9, 2013.

According to the complaint, an undercover law enforcement officer downloaded multiple child pornography files over the Internet from an IP address connected to Zachariadis's residence. On September 9, 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at the residence. Zachariadis was found to be in possession of more than 900 images and more than 200 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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Lake Alfred Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Updated January 26, 2015