Tyler Andrew Bergland, 28, of Troy, Illinois, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for knowingly receiving and possessing child pornography, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Count 1 of the indictment charges that from January to July of this year, Bergland used a desktop computer connected to the internet knowingly to download child pornography images and videos. Knowingly receiving child pornography carries a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence and is punishable by as much as 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release for life. Bergland also faces up to 10 years in prison on Count 2 of the indictment, which charges that on July 23, 2013, he knowingly possessed additional child pornography on a CD.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources."
The case is being investigated by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Computer Crimes Division, and the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force. The prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Nathan D. Stump.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation, and that all criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
