Child Pornography Charges Filed Against Massillon, North Canton Men

Criminal charges of receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were filed against two men in unrelated cases, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Charged were Tyler W. Cole, 22, of Massillon, Ohio and David Mariner, 55, of North Canton, Ohio.

Cole's indictment charges that from on or about April 23, 2012, through on or about May 25, 2012, he knowingly received and distributed, by computer, numerous computer files, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On June 13, 2012, images of child pornography were found on his Dell XPS210 desktop computer and a thumb drive, according to the indictment.

Mariner's indictment charges that from on or about March 13, 2012, through on or about May 16, 2012, he knowingly received and distributed, by computer, numerous computer files, which contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On May 16, 2012, images of child pornography were found on his Toshiba laptop computer, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the sentences in these cases will be determined by the court after consideration of the federal sentencing guidelines which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the unique characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol M. Skutnik. The cases were investigated by the Canton Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.