SUMTER MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated today that Richard Wayne Hill, II, age 34, of Sumter, pled guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A. Senior United States District Judge Matthew J. Perry, Jr., accepted the plea and will impose sentence at a later date.

Last June, Hill sent messages to an undercover postal Inspector posing as an online child pornography distributor. Hill contacted the investigator through an online chat room and ordered a CD containing child pornography. When law enforcement officers made a controlled delivery of the material, Hill admitted that he already had a collection of similar images. During a search of Hill’s residence, officers seized a computer and numerous CD-ROM discs that contained child pornography.

Mr. Wilkins stated the maximum penalty Hill can receive is a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment for ten years.

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office handled the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.