Texas Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Samuel E. Condo, Jr., 32, of Arlington, Texas, was charged last week with enticement, distributing and transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, transferring obscenity to a minor and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charges that from on or about October 20, 2014, through on or about October 24, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Condo knowingly used facilities and means of interstate and foreign commerce, that is, a cell phone and a computer connected to the Internet, to attempt to persuade, induce, entice and coerce an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years, that is, a 13-year-old girl to engage in illegal sexual activity with him.

The indictment also charges that on or about October 21, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Condo knowingly distributed in interstate and foreign commerce, numerous computer files, which files contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment also charges that on or about October 22, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Condo used a facility and means of interstate and foreign commerce, that is, a device connected to the Internet, to knowingly transfer obscene matter, that is, a video file containing a visual depiction of himself masturbating, to an individual who he believed had not attained the age of 16 years, that is, a law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

The indictment also charges that on or about October 24, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Condo knowingly transported, using any means of interstate and foreign commerce and in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, numerous computer files, which files contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The indictment also charges that on or about October 24, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Condo knowingly traveled in interstate commerce, from the State of Texas to the State of Ohio, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with another person, that is, a 13-year-old girl.

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 Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the United States Secret Service.

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.