Source: United States Department of Justice News
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Gregory Edward McLean (38, Jacksonville) with two counts of distributing videos depicting the sexual assault of children and one count of possessing files depicting the sexual abuse of young children. If convicted, McLean faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years, and up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies McLean that the United States intends to forfeit two cellphones, a Western Digital hard drive, and a USB drive, which are alleged to have been used in the commission of the offenses. McLean was arrested on September 19, 2022. He is being detained pending trial.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Rhode Island State Police, with assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase and Kirwinn Mike.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.