 |
Thom Mrozek (213) 894-6947 |
Return to the 2010 Press Release Index
Release No. 10-180a
December 14, 2010
FORMER LOS ANGELES MAN SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
LOS ANGELES – A registered sex offender who used to live in the San Fernando Valley has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison following his conviction on child pornography charges.
Gregory Macdonald Berry, 44, of Ocean Shores, Washington, who formerly lived in Chatsworth, was sentenced yesterday to 420 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $227,000 in restitution to his victims. In addition, once Berry is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the rest of his life.
Berry was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who noted that the defendant had repeatedly engaged in crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. That, together with his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions, made it likely he would again victimize children upon his release, Judge Fischer said.
Berry was convicted by a jury on August 31 of one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.
In August 2009, shortly after his release from prison for a prior child sex crime, Berry was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he was returning from a two-month trip to the Philippines. Berry was taken into custody after officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at LAX discovered child pornography on his laptop computer. A subsequent forensic analysis of Berry's laptop and iPod revealed more than 470 videos depicting children, some as young as 2, engaged in sexual acts with adult men.
The case against Berry was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
"This sentencing should serve as a stern reminder about the consequences facing those who prey upon and sexually exploit children," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles. "Every time a sexually explicit image of a minor is produced, transmitted, or viewed, a child is victimized."
#####
Release No. 10-180a
Return to the 2010 Press Release Index