New Castle Man Pleads Guilty to Transportation of Child Pornography

David Osborn, age 40, of New Castle, Delaware, pled guilty today to one count of transportation of child pornography, in violation of federal law. Osborn, who in the past has worked as a school bus driver, substitute teacher, and with the Newport, Delaware chapter of Job’s Daughters, will be sentenced on a date yet to be determined by United States District Judge Richard G. Andrews. Osborn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and a maximum sentence of twenty years, in prison. Osborn also faces a term of supervised release following his prison sentence of five years to life, and will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school. Osborn has been detained since his May 26, 2011 arrest.

According to statements made at today’s hearing and documents filed in court, Osborn was identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through reports of child pornography trafficking that had been provided by AOL LLC to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”). Under federal law, internet service providers, such as AOL, are required to report suspected child pornography being transmitted over their servers to NCMEC, which, in turn, directs these “cybertips” to the appropriate law enforcement agency. AOL reported that a particular online username, later linked to Osborn, had been used to trade images of child pornography with another computer user in South Florida.

On May 26, 2011, federal agents executed a search warrant at Osborn’s New Castle residence and arrested Osborn after finding over 700 images of child pornography on his computer equipment. Law enforcement agents also searched Osborn’s email account, which was found to contain numerous images of child pornography. Osborn’s child pornography collection focused on girls, ranging from prepubescence to mid-teen, engaged in various sexual acts or posing lasciviously. Forensic data found on the equipment indicated that Osborn had been receiving and distributing images of child pornography for a number of years. Also found on Osborn’s computer equipment were over 500 internet chat logs between Osborn and others regarding child sexual exploitation.

Following the plea hearing, United States Attorney Charles M. Oberly, III, stated: “Mr. Osborn was apprehended because his internet service provider diligently reported his child pornography trafficking to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This case is a good example of how such reports can help us to bring those who sexually exploit children online to justice.”