Brooklyn Man Engaging In Illicit Sexual Contact With A Minor

Sandro G. Zhinin, 33, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged today by Indictment with crossing state lines to have sexual contact with a minor less than 12, travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and the production and possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime incarceration, a mandatory minimum thirty years’ imprisonment, a mandatory minimum five years’ supervised release up to lifetime supervised release, a $2,000,000 fine, a $500 special assessment and an additional $25,000 Justice for Victims special assessment.

The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.

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 Attorney’s 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.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed

innocent unless and until proven guilty.