WASHINGTON – Charles Robert Gorby, 34, of Terre Haute, Ind., pleaded guilty today in Terre Haute to one count of transporting child pornography, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison of the Southern District of Indiana announced.
Court documents and uncontested testimony at the plea hearing show that in September 2007 the Vigo County, Ind., Sheriff’s Department received information from the Palm Beach, Fla., Sheriff’s Office that a suspect had been arrested in Florida for child pornography offenses. During the course of the investigation, e-mails from Gorby containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct were found on the Florida man’s computer. In October 2007, a search warrant was executed at Gorby’s residence in Terre Haute. Subsequently, a forensic examination of Gorby’s computer by the Special Investigations Section of the Indiana State Police revealed several e-mails between Gorby and other Internet users in which child pornography was exchanged, including images of pre-pubescent minors.
Gorby’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2008. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to a lifetime period of supervised release following his release from prison.
This case emerged out of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. DeBrota of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and Trial Attorney Bonnie L. Kane of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The case is being investigated by the Special Investigations Section of the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department.
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