Kennesaw Man Arraigned on Child Porn Charges

A Kennesaw man was arraigned in federal court in Atlanta on Monday on charges of production and possession of child pornography.

Benjamin Sanders, 55, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 13. He is being held without bond. 

“Child pornography victimizes and exploits the most vulnerable and defenseless members of our society," United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. This defendant is charged not only with possessing sexually explicit images of children, but also with creating some of those images.”        

According to a news release, after receiving information that Sanders had taken sexually explicit photographs of a minor, investigators from the Cobb County Police Department obtained a search warrant for Sanders’ residence. When law enforcement executed the search warrant last December, they found computer hard drives belonging to Sanders that contained sexually explicit images of numerous children, including several pictures allegedly taken by Sanders. 

"Officers and detectives of the Cobb County Police Department, a partner agency of (the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force), are to be commended for their exhaustive efforts, both investigative and technical, in bringing this matter forward for federal prosecution,” said Mark F. Giuliano, special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta Field Office.

Sanders is charged with production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  Sanders is also charged with possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Both charges carry ive years to a lifetime of supervised release. If convicted, Sanders will be required to register as a sex offender.