Canton Man Charged With Distributing Hardcore Child Pornography

ATLANTA - Billy Gene McCorkle, Jr. has been arraigned on charges of distributing and possessing child pornography of children under the age of 12.  McCorkle was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 10, 2013.  He was detained.

“The sexual exploitation of a child through the distribution of child pornography is a crime that preys on the most innocent in our society, the very ones who depend on us to protect them,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.  “This defendant is accused of trafficking sexually graphic images of very young children, with some of them even shown in bondage situations.  This office is committed to prosecuting those who engage in this horrible trade.”

"The defendant stands accused of trading in the worst kinds of child pornography, in effect victimizing again children whose documented rapes will haunt them for the rest of their lives ," said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta. "HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue to tirelessly pursue these monsters and will use every tool we have available to hold them accountable for their crimes and keep them away from children."

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: In October 2013, special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations identified McCorkle as a Canton, Georgia resident using a Google email account to transmit hardcore images of pornography depicting very young children.  Federal agents then obtained a search warrant to gain access to McCorkle’s email content.  A review of those records revealed that between October 27, 2013, and sometime in November 2013, McCorkle used a cellular telephone connected to the Internet to transmit more than 208 photographs and 14 video files, depicting pornographic images of minors, including children under age 12.  The photographs and video files included hardcore images of child pornography, some of which involved bondage.

The indictment charges McCorkle, 45, of Canton, Ga., with distributing child pornography, and possessing images of child pornography depicting minors under age 12.  Because McCorkle was previously convicted of a sex offense, the distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.  And because McCorkle possessed images of prepubescent minors, the possession charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, up to a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.