Stark County man indicted for receiving and having child pornography

A Stark County man was indicted for receiving and possessing images of child pornography.

Philip M. Popa, Jr., 33, of Beach City, indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Popa received computer files which contained images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This took place between May 30, 2017, through July 7, 2018, according to the indictment.

The indictment also charges that on or about July 17, 2018, Popa possessed an HP laptop computer that 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 U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik.  The case was investigated by TFO Ryan D. Anschutz, Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force. 

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.