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CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - A 67-year old Fairmont, West Virginia, resident was convicted this week after a two-day jury trial presided over by Judge Irene M. Keeley.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that CLYDE BATES was convicted on one count of “Possession of Child Pornography on Aug. 27, 2010," in Fairmont. The evidence presented at trial indicated that BATES possessed a large number of images depicting pre-pubescent girls and boys involved in sexual acts.
As part of the conviction, BATES has to forfeit One Apple MacBook notebook computer as well as any item constituting or containing child erotica including printed-out stories describing sexual encounters involving children.
BATES, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces a maximum exposure of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn A. Morgan and investigated by the West Virginia State Police Crimes Against Children Unit and the Fairmont Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
