Press Release
Lakewood Man Faces Child Pornography Charges
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio
William S. Burnett, 59, of Lakewood, Ohio, was charged last week with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment charges that from on or about October 28, 2012, through on or about September 20, 2014, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, Burnett knowingly received and distributed in interstate and foreign commerce, by computer, numerous computer files, which files contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also charges that on October 22, 2014, Burnett possessed a computer hard drive that contained child pornography.
If convicted, the sentence in this case will be determined by the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the unique 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. The case was investigated by the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the United States Secret Service.
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.
Updated March 18, 2015
Component