Elyria man faces child pornography charges

Fredrick Alston Thomas, 35, of Elyria, was charged with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charges that from on or about December 4, 2014, through on or about February 1, 2015, Thomas knowingly received and distributed, by computer, numerous computer files, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  On July 23, 2015, images of child pornography were also found on his smartphone, according to the indictment.

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.  The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Elyria Office.

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.