Child pornographer sentenced to 5 years in prison

Alicia A.G. Limtiaco, U.S. Attorney for Guam, announced yesterday that Bernard Dela Rosa Toves was sentenced on Monday, Aug. 12, 2014, in the U.S. District Court of Guam by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood. Toves received a sentence of five years incarceration and 10 years of supervised release.

Toves pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2012, to one count of receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2252A(a)(2). Toves used a peer-to-peer network to receive 49 movies that depict the sexual abuse of young children. Toves was ordered to register with the Sex Offender Registry wherever he lives, works, or attends school.

Limtiaco states, “Child pornography offenses involve the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These offenses are extremely serious because they result in perpetual harm to the child victims, and normalize the sexual exploitation of children. When the Internet is utilized to obtain these images of child sexual abuse, the images can travel to offenders domestically and internationally anywhere in the world, to include the Pacific region. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting defendants who victimize and prey on children through any means, including through the use of the Internet or computer.”

Limtiaco also reminds defendants who have committed sexual abuse of children that under federal and local law, all sex offenders have a duty to register and keep their registration current with the Sex Offender Registry in their jurisdiction. Sex offenders who travel to Guam and who reside in Guam must inform the Guam Sex Offender Registry where they reside, work, or attend school. They must also periodically update their registration information. The U.S. Attorney notes that the sex offender registry was created in order to protect the public by protecting victims, preventing further victimization and informing the public of the whereabouts of sex offenders. Guam’s Sex Offender Registry can be found online at www.guamcourts.org.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, a nationwide commitment to aggressively prosecute defendants who engage in the sexual victimization of children and adults, possess or receive child pornography, and sex offenders who fail to register with the jurisdiction’s Sex Offender Registry.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosetta San Nicolas. (USAO)