Austintown man found guilty in child-porn case

Staff Report

CLEVELAND

A federal jury convicted an Austintown man this week of sexual exploitation of children and exchanging videos and photos of minors engaged in sexual conduct.

Daniel Robert Parker, 33, had been indicted in March for exchanging child pornography with Candis Sue Wynn, 32, of Liberty. The indictment states at least one minor that was involved in sex acts with a man in the images was under age 12.

The guilty verdict against Parker was decided in U.S. District Judge James Gwin’s federal courtroom in Cleveland.

Wynn pleaded guilty May 24 to the same counts plus possession of child pornography because her phone contained the photos and videos. She will be sentenced Sept. 4 at 12:30 p.m.

According to an affidavit filed in February, the case started with an investigation by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office after Google contacted it concerning a person with a Google account who may have been using Gmail and cloud-based storage to store and disseminate child pornography. Investigators later learned it was Wynn’s account.

The case was then referred to the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office.

On Jan. 8, 2019, a search warrant was served at a house on Lucretia Drive, and investigators seized Wynn’s personal cellphone. A state-certified forensic specialist found the videos and images on her phone and text messages between Wynn and Parker, revealing Wynn sent Parker the sexually explicit content, and they discussed the content in detail. A forensic review of the phone also revealed Parker sent Wynn other child-pornography videos of prepubescent juveniles.

On Jan. 28, a search warrant was served at Parker’s residence, and two of his cellphones and a tablet were among items seized.