A Painesville man was indicted on child pornography charges, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Lauden A. Sullivan, 21, was charged with receiving, distributing, and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. From January 4, 2015, through on or about Jan. 21, 2016, Sullivan knowingly received and distributed, by computer, numerous computer files, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. It is further alleged that on or about Jan. 22, 2016, Sullivan possessed a CM Storm Tower computer that contained child pornography, to include at least one image involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age, according to the indictment.
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 Benedict S. Gullo. The case was investigated by 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
