BRUNSWICK, GA (WTOC) -
A Wayne County man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal
court to charges of sexual exploitation and distributing child pornography.
Stephen A. Keating, 52, of Jesup, pleaded three counts of sexual
exploitation of a minor in connection with producing of numerous images of
child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
On
several occasions in 2010 and 2011, Keating molested three children in order to
create pictures and videos of a sexual nature, according to the U.S. Attorney's
Office for the Southern District of Georgia. He then distributed several of the
images that turned up during the September 2012 arrest of a sex offender in
Denmark.
The
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations led
the investigation with help from INTERPOL, the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection Office of Field Operations in Savannah, CBP Air and Marine
Operations in Jacksonville, Fla., the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the
Liberty County Sheriff's Office.
Each
count of sexual exploitation of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of
15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Keating also
faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum
sentence of 20 years in prison for distribution of child pornography.
The
date for Keating's sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
The
case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U.S.
Department of Justice initiative.
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