anchorage man indicted by federal grand jury for child pornography
Anchorage, Alaska – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Feldis announced that on June 21, 2010, Ronald Patrick Sehrt, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, was arraigned in federal court in Anchorage for one count of possession of child pornography.
Sehrt, 52, pled not guilty to the one-count indictment before United States District Court Magistrate Judge John D. Roberts.
According to the indictment, Sehrt possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, contained on a laptop computer from sometime in 2008, until March 2010. Sehrt was detained following his arraignment, and his trial in federal court is scheduled for August 23, 2010, before United States District Court Judge John W. Sedwick.
Assistant United States Attorney Audrey J. Renschen, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the possession count, and a fine up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.www.projectsafechildhood.gov Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
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 combines federal, state and local resources to better identify, 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.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
