Geneva man faces child pornography charges

A Geneva man was indicted on child pornography charges, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Christopher W. Smith, 27, was charged with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment charges that Smith knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files which containted visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This took place from June 17 through November 15, 2016.  The indictment also charges that on or about November 15, 2016, Smith possessed an HTC cellphone and an RCA Tablet, 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 Michael A. Sullivan following an investigation the Cleveland and London offices of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. 

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.