FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONDAY - February 9, 2009

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court here today United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced RALPH JOSEPH CLOS, 64, of New Bern, North Carolina, to 78 months’ imprisonment followed by five years supervised release.

A Criminal Information was filed on August 15, 2008, charging one count of receipt of child pornography. On September 9, 2008, CLOS pled guilty to the charge. In June, 2006, the Wilmington Office of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE) received information that CLOS had downloaded child pornography from a website being monitored by ICE in New Jersey. On June 31, 2006, a search warrant was executed at CLOS’ residence and 200 digital images of child pornography were located. The images included prepubescent children in sexual acts and sadomasochistic abuse.

Mr. Holding commented: “This case is another in our ongoing effort to attack the manufactures, transporters, and possessors of child pornography. The defendant in this case provided a market for these materials and victimized the depicted children. His sentence is a just and appropriate penalty for this crime.”

This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes served as prosecutor for the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.