New Orleans Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JON C. BALLAY, age 58, of New Orleans, was charged in a three-count Indictment with production of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of a fourteen-year-old girl.

If convicted, BALLAY faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years per count, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  He can also be required to register as a sex offender.

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 marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, 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.

Acting United States Attorney Evans reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.