HERRIN MAN CHARGED WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSE

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on August 17, JOHN D. HARRAWOOD, age 39, of Herrin, Illinois was named in a one-count indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Benton, Illinois.

The indictment charges that on March 28, 2007, HARRAWOOD possessed child pornography that has been mailed, or shipped or transported in interstate commerce by any means, including by computer.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant and is not evidence of guilt. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the Government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

With respect to the charge, HARRAWOOD faces up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and from 5 years to lifetime supervised release. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the Veterans Affairs Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George A. Norwood.