FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 28, 2008
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/flm/pr                                                  

SANFORD MAN SENTENCED TO 100 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEXUAL
EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Orlando, FL - U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Donatos Sarras, age 35, of Sanford, Florida, to a term of imprisonment of 100 years and a life term of supervised release for sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child pornography. The Court also ordered Sarras to forfeit to the United States his interest in his home in Sanford. A federal jury convicted Sarras of three counts of sexually exploiting a minor by producing sexually explicit photographs and one count of possession of child pornography on November 30, 2007.

According to court documents and testimony at trial, Sarras sexually abused a thirteen year-old over a period of several months and photographed the abuse on three separate days in October 2006 using his digital camera. Seminole County Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained a search warrant for Sarras’s residence and seized the camera and laptop computer. Forensic computer examiners searched the laptop computer belonging to Sarras and found 41 images depicting the abuse in a folder which had been encrypted.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a national 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 on Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.