Peoria, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday, June 17, 2009, charging a Bloomington, Illinois man with distribution of child pornography. The indictment charges Ronald L. Devine, 44, of the 1000 block of East Grove Street, with distribution of images of child pornography using the Internet on or about November 26, 2007. Further, the indictment seeks criminal forfeiture of computer equipment and related items used in the commission of the alleged offense.

The Clerk of the Court will issue a summons for Devine to appear in federal court in Peoria for arraignment.

The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bloomington Police Department, and the Ohio Crimes Against Children Task Force, Cleveland, Ohio. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk D. Schoenbein is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the statutory penalty for distribution of child pornography is a mandatory minimum five years imprisonment to 20 years in prison. The defendant may also be ordered to remain on supervised release for up to life following any term of imprisonment.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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 U.S. 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.