Press Release
Contact:
JULIE ANN WOODS
ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY
PHONE: (616) 456-2406
VAN BUREN COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO RECEIVING CHILD PORN
MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009 -
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – Jerry Dean Byars, 66, of Van Buren County, Michigan,
pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, that is images of minors engaged in
sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. Byars admitted that
he received the materials over the internet between November 11, 2004 and September 25, 2005.
Byars faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of up to twenty years’ incarceration, a maximum fine of $250,000, a mandatory special assessment of $100.00 and supervised release, with a minimum of five years and a maximum of life. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 2, 2009 before U.S. District Cour t Judge Robert Holmes Bell.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide
initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The United States
Attorney’s Office, County Prosecutor’s Offices, Internet Crimes Against Children task force
(ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate,
apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe
Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and
to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood,
please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
END
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