FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTAUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

JUNE 8, 2007

JOPPA MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced David Barry Mentzer, age 51, of Joppa, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to his plea agreement, on March 22 and March 24, 2006, search warrants were executed at Mentzer’s home related to charges filed against him in Harford County Circuit Court involving the molestation of a 12 year old boy who was a piano student of his wife. During the execution of the search warrants, several computers belonging to the defendant were seized and found to contain depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including at least 33 images involving pre-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The visual depictions were transported through the Internet. Mentzer pled guilty in Harford County Circuit Court to third degree sex offense involving the molestation of the 12 year old boy and was sentenced in December 2006 to 40 years’ incarceration.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales launched 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/.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Harford County Child Advocacy Center for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamera L. Fine and Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.