SCRANTON MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Martin C. Carlson, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging a Scranton man with possessing child pornography.

Carlson stated that Robert Ward, age 41, is charged with committing the offense between April 2006 and April 8, 2008.

Ward’s charge stems from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Scranton Police.
Carlson stated that Ward faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of the charge.

Carlson noted that the investigation and prosecution of Ward are part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Justice Department created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys 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/.

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

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An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.