Rockwood Resident Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

KNOXVILLE, TN—Aubrey Dean Cole, 78, of Rockwood, Tenn., entered a plea of guilty on January 25, 2011, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, to possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for May 11, 2011, at 2:00 p.m., in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Cole faces a term of between 78 and 97 months in prison, along with criminal forfeiture and a potential fine and the obligation to pay restitution and a statutory assessment.

On June 15, 2010, a two-count indictment, which included the aforementioned charge, was returned against Cole by a federal grand jury sitting in Knoxville. This indictment was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Units of the Knoxville Police Department and Harriman Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Frank M. Dale, Jr. represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Public Safe Childhood (PSC), a Department initiative launched in 2006 that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information visit ProjectSafeChildhood.gov.