Press Release
MIAMI MAN INDICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
April 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), Office of Investigations, Miami Field Office, announced that defendant Pierrick J. Kerlan, of Miami, was indicted today on charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), and possession of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B). Kerlan faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, including a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
As part of an internet child pornography investigation, ICE agents discovered that someone in Florida was sharing and sending images of child pornography. Investigators determined that the subscriber to the suspect internet protocol address was Pierrick J. Kerlan, of Miami, FL. During the investigation that followed, Kerlan admitted that he possessed child pornography on his computers, that he obtained the images through internet downloads, and that he shares child pornography with others, including through LimeWire.
After Kerlan’s arrest, ICE CyberCrimes Center conducted a preliminary examination of Kerlan’s computer, which revealed numerous video and still images of child pornography, including a video of a young girl engaging in oral sex with an adult male.
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 United States 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.
U.S. Attorney Acosta commended the investigative efforts of ICE’s Office of Investigations in this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Soto.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, Fl. 33132.