Criminal Justice Online: Georgia Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Child Pornography

RICHMOND,VA—Galen E. Vanord, 53, of Millen, Ga., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for distributing child pornography.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael F. A. Morehart, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vanord pled guilty on June 1, 2010.

According to court documents, Vanord was identified by law enforcement officers during an undercover investigation of individuals trading images of child pornography over the Internet. Vanord, a truck driver, traveled around the country and used his computer at truck stops. Law enforcement in Richmond downloaded 600 images of child pornography and one video from Vanord. In the course of their investigation, agents seized Vanord’s computer and hard drive, on which they found more than 14,000 images of child pornography. Most of these images were images of babies and toddlers. After hearing evidence at today’s sentencing, the court applied an additional sentencing enhancement for a pattern of sexual exploitation of a minor, based on images of a minor that were found on Vanord’s computer.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Aber Brumberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or onhttp://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov/.

Criminal Justice Online: Georgia Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Child Pornography