A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging Peter J. Schmidt, age 26, of Lexington, Ohio, with producing, distributing and possessing child pornography, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment charges on or about July 7, 2006, and July 8, 2006, Schmidt used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor, to engage in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and such visual depiction was produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in interstate and foreign.
The indictment also charges that on or about March 11, 2013, Schmidt knowingly distributed five computer image files, which files each contained a visual depiction of a real minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The indictment also charges that on or about June 4, 2013, Schmidt knowingly possessed a computer disk, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
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 Michael A. Sullivan. The case was investigated by the Canton office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
