Mannford Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Possession

A Mannford man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. Gary Syd Goldberg, 77, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Goldberg will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. This is not Goldberg’s first offense – he previously pled guilty in 2001 to Receipt of Child Pornography through the Mail, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

According to court records, Goldberg admitted to having hundreds of images of child pornography when questioned by law enforcement. He also admitted to viewing images and videos of children being sexually abused daily for the past 24 years.

The investigation into Goldberg’s activities began in October 2023, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip about an image being uploaded to an online platform. Law enforcement discovered that Goldberg was the user who uploaded the image, and served a search warrant on his home, seizing several electronic devices.

The Mannford Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation worked together to investigate the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Ashley Robert prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Goldberg will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. His case serves as a reminder of the importance of continued efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative can be found at Justice.gov/PSC.