Men from Chardon and Cleveland charged with child pornography crimes
Two people – one from Chardon, the other from Cleveland – were indicted for unrelated child pornography crimes.
Joshua A. O’Brian, 28, of Chardon, was charged with receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and transferring obscene materials to minors.
O’Brian knowingly received numerous computer files which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This took place between March and November 2017. O’Brian also knowingly transferred obscene matter to a minor female in Pennsylvania during the same time period, according to the indictment.
David M. Richards, 61, was charged with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Richards in October 2017 knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On Feb. 21, 2018, Richards possessed an HP Pavilion laptop computer that contained child pornography, 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.
Both cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik. The O’Brian case was investigated by the FBI while the Richards case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
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.
A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.