Ponchatoula Man, Robert Swan, Charged With The Sexual Exploitation Of Children, As Well As The Distribution And Receipt Of Child Pornography

ROBERT SWAN, age 51, a resident of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, was charged today in a three-count Indictment with the sexual exploitation of children, as well as receiving and distributing images depicting the sexual victimization of children, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite, Jr.

According to the Indictment, between a date unknown and June 25, 2012, SWAN coerced a six-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.  Additionally, SWAN was charged with knowingly receiving and distributing videos and images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  The Indictment also provides notice of an enhancement of SWAN’S sentence upon conviction based on his prior conviction for lewd and lascivious assault of a minor in Escambia County, Florida.

If convicted, SWAN faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 25 years and a maximum of 50 years as to Count 1, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years as to each of Counts 2 and 3, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  He can also be required to register as a sex offender. 

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

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

This case is being investigated by investigators from the State of Louisiana - Office of the Attorney General.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg.

(Download Indictment )