Friday, November 09, 2012

Former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Miami Office Special Agent in Charge Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Transporting Child Pornography

WASHINGTON – A former Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Miami Office was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison for transporting child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI Miami Field Office and Sheriff Al Lamberti of the Broward County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office.

Anthony Mangione, 52, of Parkland, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach, Fla.  In addition to his prison term, Mangione was sentenced to serve 20 years of supervised release.

On July 16, 2012, Mangione pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida.  He was indicted on Sept. 27, 2011, by a grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

According to court documents, between March 2010 and September 2010, Mangione used a computer and other means to transport visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Specifically, according to court documents, Mangione established several AOL email accounts to transport numerous images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including transmitting several images to an individual in Delaware.

During the period of time in which he transported child pornography, Mangione served as the Special Agent in Charge for the ICE Miami Office.  Mangione was placed on administrative leave by ICE in April 2011 and has since retired.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Alexandra R. Gelber and Trial Attorney Michael W. Grant of CEOS.  The investigation was conducted by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General.

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