Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography

Galen E. Vanord, 53, of Millen, Georgia, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of distribution of child pornography. Vanord will be sentenced on August 27, 2010, by United States District Judge Henry Hudson. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. As a result of this conviction, Vanord will also be required to register as a sex offender in any U.S. jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael F.A. Morehart, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office announced the plea.

According to court documents, Vanord was identified by law-enforcement officers during an undercover investigation of individuals trading images of child pornography over the Internet. Officers downloaded 600 images of child pornography and one video from Vanord. In the course of their investigation, agents seized Vanord’s computer, on which they found over 16,000 images of child pornography.

This case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Aber Brumberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.

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