S.E. Social Justice Breaking News Bulletin – A judge slaps the wrist of man who possessed child pornography.
Plus Columbia County, Aiken County and Augusta Augusta area child pornography busts – most of which have not been reported by local media
Read about all these cases below:
S.E. Social Justice Breaking News Bulletin – Augusta area child pornography case results in man getting only 90 days in jail – something smells in Denmark
11-14-17 6:45 a.m.
Does anybody care that a slap on the wrist was given to an Augusta area man charged in a child pornography case?
This guy is back out on the streets: Second Judicial Circuit Judge Doyet A. Early III gives slap on wrist and media was duped into reporting 7 years
Aiken Judge gives possessor of child pornographer slap on write – 90 days in jail – and he’s already out on the streets !!!!
Three child pornography busts in Aiken Augusta area – Update on the others facing child pornography related charges so far in 2017
Another child porno trial starts in early December – a case not reported by Augusta area media
By Greg Peterson
South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News
News Director/Co-Owner
906-273-2433
Three child pornography busts in Aiken Augusta area – Update on the others facing child pornography related charges so far in 2017
(Central Savannah River Area GA/SC) – Three recent child pornography related busts continue to show the extent of the depravity men who prey on children in Aiken, Edgefield, Richmond and Columbia counties.
Christopher Seigler
35-year-old Christopher Clark Seigler of Aiken, SC was sentenced May 23, 2017 to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.
Instead of the 90-day slap on the wrist, Seigler could have received 10 years in state prison – and officials truly down played this sentencing in the media. It seems some were duped.
He can thank Second Judicial Circuit Judge Doyet A. Early III of Bamburg, SC
He pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records. Four other counts were dismissed.
Second Judicial Circuit Judge Doyet A. Early III sentenced Seigler to seven years suspended to 90 days active, followed by five years probation, records show.
That means he was out in 90 days.
After prison, he registered as a sex offender.
Seigler’s defense attorney was Brian Katonak.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Seigler.
Seigler was arrested on Aug. 4, 2015 after he sent a child pornography related file two months earlier to Aiken County Sheriff’s Office investigator
Child pornography and file sharing software were found on an electronic device seized from Seigler’s home.
http://scor.sled.sc.gov/OffenderDetails.aspx?Display=Main&Id=2302131
Third degree sexual exploitation of a minor defined; penalties
Offense Description
(a) an individual commits the offense of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor if, knowing the character or content of the material, he possesses material that contains a visual representation of a minor engaging in sexual activity
(b) in a prosecution pursuant to this section, the trier of fact may infer that a participant in sexual activity depicted as a minor through its title, text, visual representation, or otherwise is a minor.
(c) a person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than ten years.
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These are just some of the child pornography busts in past year in the CSRA, although figures are not available for all 13 counties.
Two of the recent cases, not reported by local media, are in Columbia County and Richmond counties – and there was a third last week in Aiken County.
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Sean Antone Grace
U.S. Army soldier 43-year-old Sean Antone Grace of 20 Rosland Court in Augusta, GA was busted by special agents of the from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Grace was also station at Fort Hood, TX and Fort Huachuca, AZ – and a past address in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
Grace was indicted Oct. 4, 2017 on charges of production of child pornography for allegedly enticing or coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct – that was allegedly distributed.
Grace allegedly committed the crime on July 17, 2017 in Richmond County, according to a Sept. 26, 2017 criminal complaint.
Details of the criminal complaint have been restricted by the court, indicative of an ongoing investigation. Grace remains in jail pending trial.
In fact, Grace is not eligible for pretrial release because of pending state of Georgia charges, according to a federal detention order that was filed in Augusta federal court on Oct. 27, 2017.
If convicted Grace faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison – with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
The Most Wanted at Fort Gordon and Elsewhere
http://www.cid.army.mil/wanted-by-cid.html#10thCID units by state – U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
The case is being handled by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps in Augusta pending trial
Pretrial motions are due Nov. 28, 2017 – and no trial date is set.
Those prosecuting the case are:
Grace’s defense attorney is Jerome J. Froelich, Jr. of Atlanta.
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John Michael Shields
With a Dec. 4, 2017 trial date looming, John Michael Shields of 208 Foxfield Dr. in Evans, GA is accused of possessing child pornography on March 30, 2017 “and times prior” in Columbia County, according to a Oct.4, 2017 indictment by a federal grand jury sitting in Augusta.
Shields, in his 20s, allegedly possessed images “that involved a prepubescent minor, a minor that had not attained twelve (12) years in age, engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the indictment states.
If convicted he faces 20 years in federal prison
A forfeiture portion of the indictment demands that Shields turn over any profits, all images (video, still etc) and provide all information on those with whom he dealt – and all involved electronics like computers, laptops.
Shields pleaded not guilty in Augusta on Oct. 11, 2017.
His bond is set at $20,000 with $1,000 secured case.
The above federal cases (Grace, Shields) are being prosecuted by:
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia R. Brian Tanner
Asst. U.S. Attorney C. Troy Clark, lead counsel
Asst. U.S. Attorney Brian T. Rafferty, chief of the criminal division
Asst. U.S. Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes, deputy chief of the criminal division
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Mark Allen Sanders
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2017, 69-year-old Mark Allen Sanders of Aiken County was charged with 30 crimes involving an ongoing probe into the possession and distribution of child pornography – and the maximum sentence if convicted is 300 years in prison.
Sanders was busted on 10 felony counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 20 felony counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor,
He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on every count.
The charges were announced Friday by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Wilson said Sanders was arrested by the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Sanders distributed and possessed numerous child pornography images (video, stills), according to Wilson’s news release. The S.C. Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.
South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
https://www.facebook.com/SCICAC/
S.C. Attorney General’s Office media center and info
http://www.scag.gov/media-center
News Releases
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) News Releases
Official Statements
Video Gallery
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Here is update on some of the other child pornography related arrests over the past year:
David Omar Urizar
21-year-old David Omar Urizar of Aiken, SC was arrested in late August 2017 on numerous charges including one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor for allegedly distributing and possessing files of child pornography.
If convicted Urizar faces a maximum of 60 years in prison.
He was arrested on August 29, 2017 by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department and S.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office
He is being held at the Aiken County detention center.
The case will be prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
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Jason Arlis Johnson
38-year-old Jason Arlis Johnson of North Augusta, SC faces state and federal charges involving multiple counts of child molestation in Columbia County, GA involving a once-missing teen victim who was found because of an Amber Alert.
Johnson was indicted in federal court in Augusta on a one felony count of transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual acts. The maximum sentence for that crime is life in prison. Johnson allegedly committed illegal sex acts and produced child pornography in Columbia County between Aug. 16 and Dec. 10, 2016, the federal indictment states.
Johnson and a 15-year-old girl, were found in Sevierville, TN in December 2016 after a nationwide Amber Alert was issued for the victim.
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Martin William Duncan
62-year-old Martin William Duncan Sr. of Warrenville, SC was arrested in March 2017 on two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor – for allegedly distributing child pornography on the internet.
The charges carry a maximum of 120 years in prison.
Duncan was busted by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the S.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the S.C. Attorney General’s Office investigators.
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Derrick Donchez
34-year-old Derrick Jonathon Donchez of North Augusta, SC was arrested in August 2016 on 12 felony counts of sexual exploitation of minors for allegedly distributing child porn through a file-sharing network, according to the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
If convicted, Donchez faces a maximum of 120 years in prison – each of the 12 charges carries 10 years.
Assisting in the probe are the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department and the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
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