Simpsonville Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges

A Simpsonville man pleaded guilty to child porn charges on Tuesday and is awaiting sentencing, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles  said.

Lorenzo W. Briones, 37, who was charged in February on two counts of possessing child pornography, could face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, according to Nettles. Briones plea was accepted in federal court Tuesday and he awaits sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr.

The charges against Briones stemmed from an April 2012 online investigation of individuals sharing child porn with peer-to-peer software programs.

Agents downloaded six files from a shared directory located at an IP address associated with Briones, Nettles said. Based on this and results from an administrative subpoena, agents obtained a federal search warrant and executed it at Briones’ residence on May 25, 2012. Agents removed computers and other electronic storage devices from his residence. A forensic examination of the computers revealed multiple images and videos of children under the age of 18 engaged "in sexual acts and/or the lascivious display of the genitals," Nettles said.

The case was investigated by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. 

For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.