A Willowick man was indicted on child pornography charges,

Craig A. Gruden, 37, was indicted on one count of receiving and distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of possessing child pornography.

Gruden knowingly received and distributed computer files which contained images of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This took place between August and December 2018, according to the indictment.

Gruden, on July 16, 2019, possessed a computer which contained images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danielle K. Angeli following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.