Jury Convicts Darke County Man Of Receipt And Possession Of Child Pornography

DAYTON – A U.S. District Court jury here convicted Richard Trepanier, 40, of Gettysburg, Ohio of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Robert A. Hughes, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the verdict returned today following a trial that began April 10.

Testimony during the trial showed that Trepanier using the name “Wingman66” contacted an Australian Federal Police undercover officer patrolling the internet in February 2008 and offered him images of child pornography. The Australian authorities tracked the user name to Trepanier and sent the information to the FBI’s office in Cincinnati.

FBI agents interviewed Trepanier who consented to a search of his computer by the Miami Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Their analysis identified approximately 56 images of child pornography and evidence that Trepanier was trading child pornography.

“This case demonstrates the international cooperation that is necessary to protect children from exploitation,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said.

The penalty for receipt of child pornography is a prison sentence of at least five and up to 20 years in prison. Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Judge Thomas M. Rose presided over the trial and remanded Trepanier to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service immediately after the jury returned their verdict. Judge Rose will schedule a date for sentencing following an investigation by the court.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the agencies involved, as well as Dayton Branch Chief Laura Clemmens and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy, who are representing the United States in this case.