BOISE - Timothy Raymond Schmidt, 34, of Cincinnati, Ohio was indicted June 15, 2016 by a federal grand jury sitting in Boise for two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
The indictment alleges that between Jan. 28, 2015 and April 9, 2015, Schmidt knowingly used, persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced two minor children in Idaho to take part in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing visual depictions and live visual depictions of that conduct.
Each count of sexual exploitation of a child is punishable by not less than 15, and up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, and at least 5 years up to a lifetime of supervised release.
Schmidt is currently in custody in Fayetteville, Ohio, and is charged by the State of Ohio with one count of rape, and two counts of sexual imposition of a minor. Those charges are unrelated to the investigation in Idaho.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security in Boise, Idaho, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Valley County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Ohio, and the Fayetteville, Ohio Police Department.
An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
