CRIMINAL INFORMATION FILED AGAINST POTTSVILLE MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY POSSESSED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced today that he has filed one-count Criminal Information against Michael Maroukis, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

The Criminal Information avers that the Maroukis, possessed images of child pornography in March 2009.
Pfannenschmidt noted that the charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the assistance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Belarus.

If convicted on the charge in the Criminal Information, Maroukis faces a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

Pfannenschmidt noted that 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.

Pfannenschmidt noted that Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

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An indictment and criminal information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proved the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.