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Press Release

Merritt Island Resident Arrested For Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest and criminal complaint charging James Otis Liptak (36, Merritt Island) with possession and distribution of images depicting child pornography. If convicted, Liptak faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

According to the complaint, Liptak used his computer and peer-to-peer software programs to search the Internet for, download, share and distribute images of child pornography.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce S. Ambrose.

It is another case 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 (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Updated January 26, 2015