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Department of Justice United States Attorney Candace G. Hill Contact: Dawn Masden |
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October 6, 2009
LOUISVILLE MAN INDICTED FOR POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
– Freadreacea previously convicted of child pornography charges in 2002
LOUISVILLE, KY - A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an Indictment against David L. Freadreacea, age 48, of Louisville, Kentucky, for violating federal child exploitation laws, United States Attorney Candace G. Hill announced today. The Grand Jury charged Freadreacea with one count of knowingly possessing child pornography.
Law enforcement officials arrested Freadreacea on September 15, 2009. According to an Affidavit filed in United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in support of Criminal Complaint, on September 15, 2009, a United States Probation Officer contacted the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and asked for assistance from the Crimes Against Children Unit. The officer was on the scene of a home check for a person under federal Supervised Release. That person, David L. Freadreacea, had previously been convicted in Criminal Action Number 3:02CR-38-R, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A review of the record in Criminal Action Number 3:02CR-38-R revealed that Freadreacea had pled guilty to two charges of violating child pornography laws, i.e., 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and (a)(4)(B). The judge in that case sentenced Freadreacea to 70 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years’ supervised release.
When the Probation Officer arrived at Freadreacea’s home, he asked Freadreacea for a tour as it had been awhile since the Officer had been there. Freadreacea’s mother was also present. The Officer observed a computer in the kitchen. The screen was dark but he noticed a zip/thumb drive and the light blinking. The Officer asked Freadreacea about the computer and zip drive. Freadreacea stated that he used it for games and asked the Officer if he wanted to take a look. The Officer told Freadreacea that he did want to look at the computer and zip drive. Freadreacea then stated that there was child pornography on it. At that point, the Officer asked Freadreacea to step outside with him and called 911 to ask for assistance from LMPD’s CACU.
An LMPD CACU Detective called the Officer and advised that CACU would provide assistance. Within a few minutes, a uniformed officer with LMPD arrived at the residence. The Probation Officer advised the LMPD officer that Freadreacea had admitted possessing child pornography. Shortly thereafter, three LMPD CACU Detectives arrived.
Three LMPD CACU detectives arrived at the residence. One of the Detectives asked Freadreacea for permission to look at the computer and zip drive. Freadreacea agreed and executed a written consent form. The Detective used the image scan forensic preview program. As a result, the Detective observed several movies which he knew immediately to contain child pornography, as he had seen the same movies in other child exploitation cases. A keyword search also revealed known keywords associated with child pornography. The Detective also observed a well-known peer-to-peer file sharing program loaded on the computer. He saved the information to a thumb drive and later copied it to a CD.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
In the event of a conviction, the maximum potential penalties are 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000.00 fine, and supervised release for a period of at least 5 years and could be any number of years, up to and including life. Additionally, Freadreacea faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department’s Crime Against Children Unit conducted the investigation in close conjunction with the United States Probation Office. Freadreacea is scheduled for arraignment on October 22, at 9:30 a.m., in Louisville, Kentucky.
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation
only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless
proven guilty.
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