U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that AUNG GAW, a/k/a Michael Gaw, age 26, of Fremont, California, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Produce Child Pornography. According to court documents, beginning in December 2012, and continuing until May 2013, GAW conspired with Jonathan Johnson, the administrator of a multi-national child pornography website, to create and post videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet. On November 5, 2013, federal agents executed a federal search warrant at GAW’s Fremont, California residence. GAW has been in custody since his arrest on November 5, 2013.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced GAW to 157 months imprisonment, to be followed by a term of supervised release of 10 years. In addition, GAW will be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
“Gaw and his co-conspirators victimized over 150 young people as part of their scheme to traffic child pornography," stated U.S. Attorney Polite. “Today’s sentence of 13 years underscores our commitment to bringing justice to anyone who engages in this despicable criminal conduct."
“Individuals who conspire to produce child pornography are directly responsible for what is, in plain language, the rape of children. Production and distribution of child pornography steals the innocence of children and destroys lives," said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. "Operation Roundtable serves as a stark warning that HSI special agents are actively working to identity and disrupt the trade of these illegal images, and also to identify and seek prosecution of the criminals who produce and possess them."
This case was brought 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 (CEOS), 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.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for investigating this matter. Fraud Section Chief and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
