Polk County Man Sentenced To 14 Years In Federal Prison For Possessing Child Pornography

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Eleftherios Zachariadis (47, Lake Alfred) on Friday, May 23, 2014, to 14 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.  Zachariadis pleaded guilty on January 9, 2014.

According to court documents, this investigation began when an undercover agent downloaded multiple images of child pornography from Zachariadis’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. On September 9, 2013, pursuant to a federal search warrant, law enforcement officers seized Zachariadis’s computer, thumb drive, and a DVD.  The investigation revealed that Zachariadis had possessed child pornography for at least seven years. The forensic examination further revealed that his computer, thumb drive, and the DVD contained more than 1,000 images and 200 videos of child pornography.  Multiple files depicted prepubescent minors, bondage, and sadomasochistic conduct.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

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, 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.