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Kiefer faces four more charges in computer porn case

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By Neal Putnam

A Ramona man who was facing a single federal charge of possession of child pornography on his computer has four more charges after a federal grand jury indicted him on five counts.

Mark Robert Kiefer, Jr., 33, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on the indictment in U.S. District Court in San Diego on July 19. He remains free on a $50,000 property bond and lives with his wife.

The four new charges are similar to each other and allege he knowingly received on his computer visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct between September 2008 and Sept. 28, 2010.

U.S. Postal inspectors seized his computer on Sept. 28, 2010, but he was not arrested until June 20. The images were allegedly received by Kiefer under the online handle of “Dirtboy.”

A criminal forfeiture allegation was also filed in which authorities will keep his computer and equipment if he is convicted. The charges are federal because it is alleged that Kiefer used interstate commerce to receive those images.

He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 19 for motions and setting a trial date.

Prosecution records say Kiefer used the handle of “Dirtboy” as a member of a bulletin board service that traded child pornography with others. Postal inspectors say they found approximately 842 images and 42 videos depicting minors on his computer.

As conditions of his release, a federal magistrate ordered him not to spend any time on the Internet or online social media websites. He also has to use a GPS monitoring system as a bond condition.

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