WASHINGTON – Theodore Allan, 54, of Glendale, Ariz., was sentenced today to five years in prison for distribution of child pornography, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Rita M. Glavin and U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Diane J. Humetewa announced.
Allan was indicted on charges of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography on March 6, 2007. The charges followed a July 14, 2006, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) search of Allan’s home. According to court documents, ICE agents discovered approximately nine videos and 267 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Allan pleaded guilty on Aug. 4, 2008, to one count of distribution. As part of the plea agreement, Allan admitted to distributing child pornography via e-mail.
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 the U.S. 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.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney James Silver of CEOS and Senior Litigation Counsel Vincent Q. Kirby of the District of Arizona. ICE conducted the investigation.
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