Homeland Man Charged with Possessing, Distributing Child Porn

RIVERSIDE - A 73-year-old Riverside County man is facing federal charges for allegedly possessing scores of pornographic photos and videos of children, some as young as 8 years old, authorities said today.

George Henry Devinna could face up to 50 years behind bars if convicted of possession, distribution and receipt of child porn.

The defendant was arrested by FBI agents at his Homeland residence on Monday. He remains in federal custody and is slated to be arraigned on Jan. 18 at U.S. District Court in Riverside.

FBI documents allege Devinna utilized a peer-to-peer online file-sharing network to send and receive sexually explicit images of children.

FBI agents infiltrated the subscriber-only network, posing as child porn traders to view the materials being transmitted, according to Special Agent Jeffrey Stiff.

In an arrest warrant affidavit, the federal law enforcement officer described how Devinna was identified as the alleged source of numerous child porn images and videos. Stiff alleged that the defendant provided pictures of preteen boys who were totally nude, sometimes bound with straps and rope.

The affidavit alleges that in one video, a man is having sex with an 8-year-old boy, whose hands were tied.

The investigation spanned July to November and involved agents as far away as Rochester, N.Y., accessing the network and locating suspected illicit material, according to Stiff.

He said Devinna cooperated with investigators following his arrest.

''Devinna identified a Toshiba laptop computer in the residence that he used to access the peer-to-peer file sharing program in order to distribute and view child pornography,'' Stiff wrote.

According to the agent, some of the footage located on the defendant's hard drive has been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Child Victim Identification Program as part of a series of films produced by child pornographers abroad.