MINNEAPOLIS—A 59-year-old man in Crystal, Minnesota, has been charged with possessing approximately 8,000 images of child pornography.
James Richard Darling was charged via an Information with one count of possession of child pornography on April 17, 2013, for allegedly possessing numerous visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his computer on September 22, 2009.
According to the charges, Darling faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, with a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years if convicted.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Minnesota Child Exploitation Task Force, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Lola Velazquez-Aguilu is prosecuting the case.
Possession of child pornography is against the law, and the Justice Department is funding a study focused on the correlation between involvement in child pornography and hands-on sexual abuse of children.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of Family Violence found that up to 80 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for possession, receipt, or distribution of child pornography also admitted to hands-on sexual abuse of children, ranging from touching to rape.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (“PSC”), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
A defendant is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
Related Federal Cases
- Mathew Richard Adamson, Production and Possession of Child Pornography, Minnesota 2015 · Minnesota
- Danny James Heinrich, Child Pornography Receipt, Minnesota 2015 · Minnesota
- Kevin James Petroske, Child Pornography Production, Minnesota 2017 · Minnesota
- Mathew Richard Adamson, Child Pornography Production, Minnesota 2024 · Minnesota
- James Lester Paramore, Distribution of Child Pornography, Minnesota 2017 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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