man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a man charged with Possession of Child Pornography was sentenced on January 27, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken. William Schmidt, age 54, of Rapid City, was sentenced to six months’ incarceration, 10 years' supervised release, and ordered to pay $100 to the Victim Assistance Fund.

Schmidt was charged by an information with Possession of Child Pornography. On October 4, 2010, Schmidt pled guilty to possessing computer files in his home which contained between 10 and 150 images of child pornography. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg S. Peterman prosecuted the case.

Schmidt was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice 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 coordinates 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/.