WILLISTON MAN CONVICTED OF PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

GAINESVILLE - Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced that on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, JOAQUIN GOMES was convicted of federal charges related to the possession, receipt and production of child pornography. The conviction followed a two-day trial.

The investigation leading to Gomes conviction stemmed from an Innocent Images Task Force (ITF) investigation involving the commercial distribution of child pornography through an Internet web site. Investigators determined that defendant Gomes, a convicted child sex-offender living in Williston, Florida, was a subscriber to the illegal web-site. Over 20,000 images and videos of child pornography were found in Gomes’ possession. Evidence was also found linking Gomes to the use of a digital camera to produce photographs depicting sexual conduct by an unidentified female child. Gomes faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years to life.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood initiative.