Lorain Man Charged with Child Pornography Violations

Scott Eric Sherwood, 54, of Lorain, was charged with transporting and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charges that from on or about October 1, 2012, through on or about November 1, 2013, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Sherwood knowingly transported, using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce and in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, numerous computer files, which files contained visual depictions of a real minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment also charges that on September 25, 2014, Sherwood possessed an external computer hard drive that contained child pornography.

If convicted, the sentence in this case will be determined by the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the unique characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan.  The case was investigated by the Elyria Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.