Sacramento Man Indicted for Possession of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, CA—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that a federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment charging JOHN JOSEPH MULLIGAN, 36, of Sacramento, with possession of child pornography.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon, who is prosecuting the case, the indictment alleges that on or about October 7, 2008, MULLIGAN possessed on his computer and on DVDs visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The maximum statutory penalty for possession of child pornography is up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a minimum term of supervised release of five years and up to life. However, the actual sentence will be dictated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and will be imposed at the discretion of the court.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.

The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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