Geauga County man indicted for possessing videos of children being raped and sexually assaulted

A Geauga County man was indicted on two counts related to possessing videos of children being raped and sexually assaulted, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja.

John S. Mobasseri, 39, of Novelty, was indicted on one count of distribution of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of possession of child pornography.

Mobasseri on March 16 had two USB storage devices, 14 computer disks and a computer that contained images of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Mobasseri received and distributed images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct between 2009 and 2017, according to the indictment.

The files include titles such as “10Yo Preteen Raped (Incest).mpeg” and images such as children being blindfolded and sexually assaulted, as well as children being bound and masked while being sexually assaulted, according to court documents.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Michael A. Sullivan following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

If convicted, the court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a 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. In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

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.