Summerville Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Adam Baez, 46, of Summerville, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials.*

Evidence presented to the court showed that Baez possessed more than 600 images of prepubescent child sexual abuse materials on multiple electronic devices. In addition to the possession of the images, evidence showed that Baez exploited a minor victim over the course of several years and produced images of this minor victim.

United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Baez to 210 months' imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Baez was also ordered to pay $15,000.00 in restitution to the identified victims of his offense.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy F. Bower is prosecuting the case.

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* The term "child pornography" is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, "child sexual abuse material" is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child.