Federal Bureau of Investigation - New Orleans Field Office
07/05/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/06/2022 11:02
Luling Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Files Depicting the Sexual Victimization of Children
NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DOMINIC ROMANO, age 21, a resident of Luling, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2022 before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe to a one-count indictment charging him with possession of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children under the age of twelve years old, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 2252(a)(4)(B).
According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received a tip from another law enforcement agency that an individual, subsequently determined to be ROMANO, accessed an online bulletin board having an explicit focus on the advertisement, distribution, and facilitation of sharing child abuse material. The bulleting board contained sections and forums cataloged by the age of the victims and the nature of the violence inflicting on them.
The FBI executed a search warrant on ROMANO's residence on May 7, 2020 and seized electronic devices. ROMANO's seized devices contained at least 2589 image and 62 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including children less than three years old. Among ROMANO's collection was a digital presentation that purported to be an instruction manual on how to successfully victimize "very young girls" without being caught.
ROMANO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years. ROMANO also faces up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and he can be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Ashe is scheduled for September 29, 2022, at 1:30 pm.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is in charge of the prosecution.