Wilmington Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a Federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned a five-count indictment charging Isai Sanchez, age 22, of Wilmington, North Carolina, with four counts of Receipt of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

The indictment alleges that, beginning at a time unknown and ending on May 4, 2017, Sanchez received at least four files containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The indictment further alleges that on May 4, 2017, Sanchez was found to be in possession of digital media containing images and videos involving minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted of these charges, SANCHEZ would face a maximum of twenty years’ imprisonment and up to a lifetime of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

This case was 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.

The charges and allegations contained in the Indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force comprised of the FBI, New Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the Wilington Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh is prosecuting the case for the government.