Springfield, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A Champaign man, (Illinois) Jaime Breckenridge, 33, of the 2200 Block of S. First Street, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Urbana on Sept. 13, 2017, for arraignment on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography.
The grand jury returned the indictment on Sept. 5, that alleges Breckenridge distributed child pornography on Sept. 27, 2016, using a facility of interstate or foreign commerce. The indictment also alleges that on July 28, 2017, Breckenridge possessed computer processing units, hard drive and other digital storage materials, which contain images and videos of child pornography.
Breckenridge was arrested on Aug. 5, 2017, in Marion, Ill., after being charged in a federal criminal complaint with the same offenses. During a court appearance on Aug. 7, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Reona J. Daly, in Benton, Ill., Breckenridge was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for distribution of child pornography is 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000; the penalty for possession of child pornography is up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The 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.