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Release No. 07-055
April 19, 2007
ORANGE COUNTY FIREFIGHTER SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
A former firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet and possessing multiple images of child pornography, including images depicting bestiality and bondage.
Tyrone A. Ganoe, 42, of Norwalk, was sentenced this afternoon by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer in Los Angeles.
Ganoe has been in custody since January when he was convicted of three felony counts after a two-week trial. The jury found Ganoe guilty of two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The case began when Ganoe was arrested in January 2006 after a law enforcement agent monitoring the Internet used peer-to-peer software to download five videos depicting child pornography from Ganoe’s computer. During the investigation, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized Ganoe’s computer and discovered more than 70 images and movie files containing explicit images of child pornography.
During today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Fischer said that Ganoe had suborned perjury from witnesses at his trial, who testified that a man named “Ray Rodriguez” had collected the child pornography while using Ganoe’s computer. Judge Fischer found that that “Ray Rodriguez” did not exist and noted that the testimony of Ganoe’s sister, her boyfriend and another person was “inconsistent with documentary and forensic evidence.” Judge Fischer called Ganoe’s conduct in allowing his friends and family to perjure themselves “reprehensible.”
“This sentence serves as a strong reminder that the sexual exploitation of children is a crime that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge for the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles. “Those who prey on society's most vulnerable must be made to understand there is a high price for their crimes and the anonymity of cyberspace and the Internet offers no protection.”
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Release No. 07-055
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