Convicted Child Predator Could Get 30 Years

WASHINGTON. – Raymond George Bohning, 59, of Hollywood, Fla., entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for preying on children, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta for the Southern District of Florida, and FBI Special Agent in Charge, Jonathan I. Solomon, announced today.

At a hearing held before Senior District Judge Jose A. Gonzales, Bohning pleaded guilty to the enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, production of images of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct, distribution of child pornography to a minor to persuade her to engage in sexual conduct, and possession of child pornography.

In November 2003, Bohning traveled from Florida to Birmingham, England, in order to sexually abuse 13 and 15-year-old girls. The father of the 13-year-old girl intercepted a telephone call between his daughter and Bohning upon Bohning’s arrival in the United Kingdom in which he discussed his planned sexual activity with her. The young girl’s father contacted U.K. law enforcement who notified the FBI in Miami. Bohning was arrested in the U.K. and charged with various offenses including possessing and distributing lewd images of minors. A search of his person and hotel room revealed he was in possession of numerous items including: a laptop computer, Viagra pills, Vaseline petroleum jelly, a teenage pornography magazine, and Polaroid images of a teenager engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Bohning pleaded guilty in the U.K. to possessing and distributing indecent images and publishing an indecent article and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He was subsequently extradited to the United States for prosecution.

An investigation conducted by the FBI revealed that Bohning had an extensive collection of child pornography images depicting minors being sexually abused, including babies and toddlers. The defendant convinced a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce images which he saved; distributed images to a minor in an effort to persuade her to engage in sexually activity with him; and created a list of 374 individuals’ Internet screen or user names, mostly minors whom he catalogued by physical attributes, state or country of residence, and the nature of their sexual experiences.

Bohning faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years for production of child pornography. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 30 years for enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. For distributing child pornography to a minor to induce her to engage in sexual activity, Bohning faces up to 20 years in prison. He also faces up to 10 years in prison for possessing in excess of 600 images of child pornography. Bohning is subject to a fine for each count of up to $250,000 and faces a possible lifetime period of supervised release.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Waugh for the Southern District of Florida, and Deputy Chief Sherri A. Stephan and trial attorney Bonnie Kane, both of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division. This case was investigated by FBI Special Agent Catherine Koontz in Miami, and the West Midlands Police Department in the United Kingdom. The analysis of the computer forensic evidence was accomplished by the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created 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.