Steven D. Ford, a 27-year-old man from Cambridge, Illinois, has been indicted on charges of producing and possessing child pornography. According to a federal grand jury, the crimes allegedly occurred between June 2011 and July 2012.
Ford was previously arrested in July 2012 and has been in federal custody ever since. He was granted a psychiatric evaluation at a federal Bureau of Prisons facility, and during a court hearing in January 2013, he was determined to be mentally competent. He was then remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The indictment charges Ford with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count of production of child pornography is a mandatory minimum 15 years to 30 years in prison. For possession of child pornography, the penalty is up to 20 years in prison. Each of the child pornography offenses carry terms of supervised release of up to life following any term of imprisonment.
The charges were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Davenport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Schuler.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative was launched in May 2006, and it 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. The public is encouraged to report any suspected cases of child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or through the CyberTipline at www.missingkids.org.
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