Orlando man sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for possessing child pornography and 20 years of supervised release, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents, Geoffrey Jones, 61, used a file sharing program to download child pornography from the Internet. HSI special agents executed a search warrant at his residence May 30, 2012. A forensic examination showed that Jones's computer, external hard drive and CDs contained more than 600 images and videos depicting child pornography.

"Possessing child pornography is not a victimless crime," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, which oversees the agency's Orlando office that investigated this case. "HSI special agents will continue to investigate those who possess child pornography and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Protecting innocent children is a top priority for our agency."

Jones pleaded guilty Nov. 1.

This investigation was also part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.