Crimes against Children 9-28-12 Part II

Pittsburgh, PA
A resident of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The one-count indictment named Joshua J. Gildea, 25, formerly of 116 South 7th Street, Youngwood, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on July 30, 2012, Gildea possessed visual depictions, namely, images and videos in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Pittsburgh, PA
A resident of Allegheny County pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Harold J. Grant, III, 20, of 411 Halket Street, North Versailles, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count before Senior United States District Judge Gustave Diamond.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on February 2, 2011, Grant possessed thousands of visual depictions, namely, videos and still images in computer graphics files, that were produced with the use of minors, many of whom were infants and very young children, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Grand Rapids, MI
Patrick Wiseman (33) of East Lansing, Michigan, was sentenced in federal court to a sentence of 20 years’ incarceration for trading in child pornography, U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles announced today. Wiseman was also sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release. In sentencing Wiseman, Judge Janet Neff emphasized the need to protect the community.

Wiseman has a prior sex offense conviction in Florida for possession of child pornography in 2003 and served 30 months in prison. Wiseman came to the attention of law enforcement in 2011 when he was discovered sharing child pornography through the Internet. In July 2011, the FBI executed a search warrant on Wiseman’s home and seized his computer. While that investigation was pending, Wiseman purchased another computer and began sharing even more child pornography through the Internet. The FBI, along with Homeland Security Investigations-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (HSI-ICE), executed another search warrant on Wiseman’s home in March 2012. Wiseman’s computer was seized, and he was arrested and held in custody.

Kansas City, MO
David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Claycomo, Missouri man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Jason Romdall, 33, of Claycomo, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri.

Today’s indictment alleges that Romdall received child pornography on March 26, 2012. Romdall is also charged with being in possession of child pornography, in addition to and apart from the images in the first count, on March 28, 2012.

Council Bluffs, IA
On September 26, 2012, Richard Pearson, age 51, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced in United States District Court in Council Bluffs for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual contact, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Senior United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt sentenced Pearson to 120 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The court also ordered Pearson to pay a $100 special assessment for the Crime Victim Fund, to register with the Sex Offender Registry, and to forfeit certain items of personal property found in his possession on the date of his arrest in southwest Iowa.

The court also considered restitution in favor of the minor victim but found that no restitution was currently owing. The defendant remains in the custody of the United States Marshals pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at which he will serve his sentence.

Sacramento, CA
Jamir Imari Tatum, 20, of Oakland, pleaded guilty today to distribution of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Innocence Lost Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.

According to court documents, in January 2012, Tatum started a sexual relationship with the 14-year-old victim. On February 21, 2012, agents found Internet advertisements for the prostitution services of the girl in Stockton. These advertisements contained three sexually explicit images taken of her in Sacramento in January. The phone number on the advertisements was Tatum’s cellphone. Agents called and made a “date.” When officers arrived, they saw the 14-year-old girl on the street corner with Tatum standing approximately 50 meters away. When officers apprehended the victim, Tatum took off running but surrendered 15 minutes later after police dogs were brought into the chase.