ORLANDO, FL – Charles Keith Rolfe, a 60-year-old man from Heyburn, Idaho, has pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography in federal court. Rolfe faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison, as well as a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to a lifetime of supervision, after his release. He will also be required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Rolfe was accused of distributing child pornography via a mobile messaging application on his cellular phone in February 2014. However, agents with Homeland Security Investigations had assumed the online identity of a subject with whom Rolfe had previously traded child pornography, and began communicating with him in an undercover capacity. Rolfe sent the undercover agents at least three videos containing images of child pornography via the MMA on his cellular phone.
A search of Rolfe’s home later found almost 900 images of child pornography stored on a cell phone. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the federal government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Rolfe’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the child exploitation ring, and serves as a reminder of the harsh consequences of distributing child pornography. The federal government will continue to prosecute individuals who engage in such heinous crimes, and work to protect children from exploitation and abuse.
As part of his plea agreement, Rolfe will be required to register as a sex offender and undergo supervision for the remainder of his life. This is a critical step in ensuring that individuals who engage in child exploitation are held accountable for their actions and are unable to harm children in the future.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative that has resulted in the prosecution of thousands of individuals who have engaged in child exploitation and abuse. The program has also led to the rescue of hundreds of victims and has helped to disrupt and dismantle child exploitation rings across the country.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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