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March 4, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Grafton Resident Enters Plea of Guilty
to Child Pornography Charge

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A 26 year old Grafton, West Virginia, resident entered a plea of guilty on March 3, 2009, in United States District Court in Clarksburg before Judge Irene M. Keeley.

United States Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that DARRIC JOEL SWEENEY entered a plea of guilty to one count of possessing a computer disk and other material containing images of child pornography that had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce via a computer on February 1, 2008, in Grafton. SWEENEY, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Perri and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.