INDICTMENT ALLEGES MAN ADVERTISED FOR KIDDIE PORN.Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer A 56-year-old Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. man has been indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. on federal charges of advertising to obtain child pornography Child pornography is the visual representation of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity or the visual representation of minors engaging in lewd or erotic behavior designed to arouse the viewer's sexual interest. , one of the first such cases in the nation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Ernest Gonzales also was indicted on federal charges of possessing and distributing hundreds of images of child pornography, officials said. He was indicted Friday by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on one count of publishing an advertisement to receive, exchange and distribute child pornography. The indictment also accuses Gonzales of four counts of using a computer to knowingly transport child pornography in interstate and foreign commerce. The indictment alleges Gonzales possessed approximately 525 images of child pornography. He faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Gonzales surrendered Wednesday to U.S. Customs Service agents and was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. His arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted is scheduled for April 9. German National Police, conducting an operation dubbed ``KinderSchutz,'' which targets child porn offenders, began investigating Gonzales in 1999, officials said. Customs special agents seized computer equipment from Gonzales' home last month that allegedly contained hundreds of images and digital movies involving children, officials said. |
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