The U.S. Attorney’s office indicted a Juneau man Wednesday for the distribution of child pornography.
Steven Raymond Foster, 45, was arraigned Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie C. Longenbaugh and pled not guilty to the charge. The court ordered that Foster remain in custody pending trial, which is set for May 3.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who is prosecuting the case, said Foster faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Foster also could spend the rest of his life on supervised release.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Earlier this month, a Southeast Alaska family doctor Greg Alan Salard, 54, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and to spend the remainder of his life on supervised released for distributing child pornography. Salard’s conviction, along with Foster’s indictment, was part of Project Safe Childhood, a 2006 Department of Justice nationwide initiative to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking that if anyone in the public has further information, questions or concerns about the Foster’s activities to contact the FBI at (907) 265-8254.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
