Defendant Possessing Child Pornography Sentenced

     

Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced that Otto G. Pena, age 46, a resident of Valdosta, Georgia and Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced on July  29,  2013  by  the Honorable  Hugh  Lawson  in  United  States  District  Court, Valdosta Division, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by twenty-five (25) years of supervised release.

Mr. Pena entered a plea of guilty on July 29, 2013 to Possession of Child Pornography. Court  records showed  that  a  search  conducted  on  Mr.  Pena's  residence  revealed  numerous computers containing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Mr. Pena admitted that he was in possession of more than 600 images of child pornography, that the images on the computers had been mailed, shipped or transported in interstate and foreign commerce and that the depictions of the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct were produced using materials which had been mailed, shipped, or transported by means of interstate and foreign commerce. Evidence was presented at sentencing showing that Mr. Pena had also engaged  in a pattern of activity involving sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor.

U.S. Attorney Michael Moore said, "Mr. Pena re-victimized the children in these images every time he looked at the pictures.   Possession  of this disgusting material is not a victimless crime, and Mr. Pena, or anyone else who exploits children in Middle Georgia,  need to know that we will use every resource we have to make sure they go to federal prison."

The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Lowndes County Sheriff's   Office, the  Southern  Judicial  Circuit  District  Attorney's   Office  and  the  Bureau  of Alcohol,  Tobacco, Firearms  and  Explosives  (ATF)  and  was  prosecuted  by  Assistant  United States Attorney Robert D. McCullers for the Government.

Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2602.