Township Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

A Bethlehem Township man was indicted Thursday on federal charges that he distributed and received images of child pornography via the Internet, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia announced.

In the indictment, Niyaz Sainudeen, 40, of the 4100 block of Ross Road, faces two counts of distributing child pornography, in July and October of 2011, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography on March 8.

The Morning Call reported that Sainudeen is the director of an information technology firm in Bethlehem Township and is an Indian national living in the United States with a valid visa.

According to the newspaper, much of the investigation was conducted by an undercover agent with the Department of Homeland Security.

The Express Times reported that Sainudeen tried to flee the country after federal investigators searched his home on March 8 and allegedly found more than 100 images of child pornography. Later that day, Sainudeen booked a flight to the United Arab Emirates from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, the newspaper reported.

If convicted, Sainudeen faces a maximum possible prison sentence of 70 years with a mandatory minimum of 5 years.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joan E. Burnes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.