Elementary School Teacher Transmitted Images Over the Internet and Faces Five Year Mandatory Minimum Sentence
SAN JOSE – LAWFUEL – Law News Network – United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that Larry Michael Mead, an former elementary school teacher in Salinas, California, pleaded guilty today to transmitting and possessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Mr. Mead, 46, a former teacher at University Park Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave in December 2005. The plea was entered before United States District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte in San Jose. These charges are the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Monterey Police Department, and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Mead admitted to having used a computer to access, transmit, and possess images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct from his home in Salinas. During the plea hearing, the federal prosecutor on the case informed the Court that Mr. Mead was in possession of 303 images and 94 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The prosecutor further noted that the defendant uploaded several such images onto a file sharing network.
Federal prosecutors charged Mr. Mead with one count of transmitting materials relating to the sexual exploitation of minors, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(1), and with one count of possessing materials relating to the sexual exploitation of minors, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). He pleaded guilty to both counts without entering into a plea agreement.
State prosecutors with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office charged Mr. Mead in October 2005 with downloading child pornography on his computer at the school. Those charges are still pending against Mr. Mead.
After a detention hearing at the U.S. District Court in San Jose on July 6, 2006, Mr. Mead was detained without bail. Mr. Mead is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2006, before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte in San Jose.
The maximum statutory penalty for transmitting materials relating to the sexual exploitation of minors is twenty years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years supervised release. The minimum statutory penalty for transmitting materials relating to the sexual exploitation of minors is five years imprisonment. The maximum statutory penalty for possessing materials relating to the sexual exploitation of minors is ten years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years supervised release. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Thomas O’Connell is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal technician Susan Kreider.
Further Information:
Case #:CR-06 – 0030 RMW
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay@usdoj.gov.
