Canton man indicted on child pornography charge

A Canton man was indicted on child pornography charges, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja.

Larry P. Smith, 65, was charged with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Smith knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This took place between Oct. 7 and 10, 2013, according to the indictment.

The indictment also charges that on or about November 20, 2013, Smith possessed several laptop computers, an Apple computer and several external hard drives, each of which contained child pornography.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol M. Skutnik following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.