AUGUSTA, GA: A Richmond County man has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting to possession of child pornography.
Robert Paul Synenberg, 23, of Augusta, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Synenberg to pay a $1,000 fine, to register as a sex offender, and to serve 20 years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Viewing images of child sexual exploitation inflicts perpetual harm on young victims,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our office and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in shutting down online predators.”
The FBI located and arrested Synenberg in December 2020 while investigating a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and found images of child sexual exploitation on electronic devices in his possession.
“Our message to predators who prey on children is that you cannot hide behind the anonymity of the internet,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will make it a top priority to continue investigating these difficult cases to make an impact in our communities to thwart predatory behavior.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.