Largo Puppeteer Pleads Guilty To Possession And Receipt Of Child Pornography

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announces that Ronald William Brown (57, Largo) today pleaded guilty to an eight count Superseding Indictment charging him with three counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of receipt of child pornography. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each possession count, and a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each receipt offense.

Brown was arrested at this home in July 2012 on federal charges stemming from a multi-jurisdiction child pornography investigation.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

It is another case 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.

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