Man Pleads Guilty to Possession
of Child Pornography
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt
announced that William Joseph Bean, II, pled guilty
today in federal court in San Diego to an Information
charging him with one count of possession of child
pornography in violation of Title 18, United States
Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B). Bean tendered his guilty
plea before United States Magistrate Judge William
McCurine, Jr., subject to final acceptance by United
States District Court Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz at
the time of sentencing.
According to the court records,
Bean admitted that on or about January 2, 2008, he
possessed a computer containing over 600 images of
minors, some as young as five years old, engaging
in sexually explicit conduct.
Sentencing for Bean is
scheduled for August 1, 2008 at 8:30 a.m., before
Judge Moskowitz.
This case stems from an investigation by the San
Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,
whose
members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County
Sheriff’s
Department, the Chula Vista Police Department, the
United States Attorney’s Office, the San Diego
District Attorney’s Office, the United States
Postal Inspection Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service, the United States Marshals Service, the
Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the Defense
Criminal
Investigative Service, and the El Cajon Police Department.
This case is being brought as part of
Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed
to protect
children from online exploitation and abuse.
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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
DEFENDANT Case No.
07CR1201-BTM
WILLIAM JOSEPH BEAN, II
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B)
(Possession of Child Pornography)
Maximum Penalty:
10 years’ incarceration, $250,000 fine, a minimum
of 5 years and up to a lifetime of supervised release
and registration as a sex offender.
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES
San Diego Police Department
