Orange County Superior Court Judge Indicted On Federal Child Pornography Charges
Press Release From John S. Gordon, United States Attorney, Central District of California
November 28, 2001
A federal grand jury in Santa Ana today returned an indictment charging Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald C. Kline with six counts of possession of child pornography.
Kline, 61, of Irvine, is accused of possessing more than 100 images of child pornography on a computer hard drive, computer disks and a commercial videotape. According to the indictment, the sexually explicit conduct depicted in these images consists of actual or simulated sexual intercourse between minor males. Law enforcement authorities seized the child pornography at the center of this case pursuant to a search warrant executed at Kline's home on November 5.
Kline, who was placed on home detention after posting a $50,000 bond, is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on Monday, December 3 in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If he is convicted of all six counts in the indictment, Kline could be sentenced to as much as 30 years in federal prison.
The case against Kline is the result of an investigation by agents with the United States Customs Service and detectives with the Irvine Police Department. The Orange County District Attorney's Office also participated in this investigation.
