Joseph Andrew Mollick was charged in a federal complaint with possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.
According to the federal complaint filed July 13, 2021, and unsealed on Friday, Mollick, 58, of Menlo Park, used the social media application Kik to upload an image depicting child pornography.
The complaint alleges that Mollick possessed, on his Apple iCloud account, at least 2000 images and videos of child pornography.
The complaint charges Mollick with one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).
Mollick made his initial federal court appearance on the complaint this morning before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero. Chief Magistrate Judge Spero ordered Mollick released on an unsecured bond of $50,000 with special conditions imposed.
A complaint merely alleges that a crime has been committed. Mollick is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chambers is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Ralph Banchstubbs and Claudia Hyslop. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI.
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