MAN INDICTED FOR PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

BUFFALO, N.Y.--A federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a nine-count Indictment charging Raymond Mason, 34, of Frewsburg, New York, with six counts of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, one count of attempted possession of child pornography, and one count of attempted receipt of child pornography announced U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York. Production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both; possession and attempted possession of child pornography carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and attempted receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti stated that the Indictment charges the defendant with knowingly taking 6 sexually explicit Polaroid photographs of a minor child. The Indictment also charges the defendant with attempting to purchase and receive child pornography through the mails.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit .

The Indictment was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie Bennett; United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Ronald C. Walker, Inspector In Charge, New York Division; and the Ellicott Police Department under the direction of Chief William Ohnmeiss. The evidence was presented to the Grand Jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who will handle the trial of the case.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.