325 YEARS IN PRISON FOR PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Gary Steven Vasiloff, 51, of Leesburg, Alabama, was sentenced today in United States District court to serve 325 years in prison for production of child pornography. Vasiloff was indicted in August 2007 with twenty-one counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

"Child predators have no place in society except in a federal prison," stated U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. "Vasiloff impacted a child's life forever, and the federal judicial system has returned the favor."

Vasiloff plead guilty to the child pornography charges which stemmed from twenty-one photographs taken by him of a minor child posed in lewd and lascivious positions at a home located in Cherokee County. In some of the photographs the fourteen year old minor child can be seen consuming alcoholic beverages which were given to her by Vasiloff. The incident occurred in Cherokee County between the dates of June 23, 2006, and August 14, 2006. Vasiloff was taken into police custody in August 2007 after a detention hearing, and he has remained in police custody.

"The sexual predation of children is a profound evil," states Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation. "I commend the citizens and my law enforcement partners who brought this man to justice.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with assistance from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell prosecuted this matter on behalf of the U.S. Government.

This case was brought as part of 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.