A Fresno man has been indicted on charges related to the receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. Darren Keith Sever, 55, faces serious legal repercussions after a federal grand jury charged him this past Thursday. The charge emanates from documented incidents occurring between April 4 and June 4, wherein Sever is accused of having received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Sever's history with the law includes past convictions that required him to be registered as a sex offender up until April 17, a proximity in timeline to the alleged incidents that cannot be overlooked, according to court documents obtained by the Department of Justice. Homeland Security Investigations and the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force efforts culminated in the realization of these charges. Sever, if convicted, could face up to 40 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years, and the possibility of a $250,000 fine, however the eventual sentence will be informed by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the court's discretion.
This case is a fragment of the broader crusade known as Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006, aiming to thwart the tide of child sexual exploitation and abuse, this information being provided by the Department of Justice. A cooperative of federal, state, and local entities contribute to the identification and prosecution of offenders and strive for the identification and rescue of victims.
