U.S. man faces online porn charges

A U.S. grand jury in Los Angeles has charged a California man with operating an Internet-based obscenity distribution business and other offenses, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The indictment, returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges Ira Isaacs, with four counts of using an interactive computer service to sell and distribute obscene films on DVD, two counts of using a common carrier to distribute obscene DVDs and two counts of failing to label sexually explicit DVDs with the name and location of the custodian of records containing age and identification information for performers in sexually explicit films.

Isaacs did business as Stolen Car Films and LA Media, the DOJ said.

The maximum penalty for each count is five years in prison.

The court will issue a summons to Isaacs, who is believed to live in the Hollywood Hills near Los Angeles, in court for arraignment in August. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of all obscene materials produced and transported by Isaacs and any money from the sale of the materials.

This is the third time the DOJ has filed Internet obscenity charges against U.S. residents since mid-May. In May, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, in Tampa, handed down a 10-count obscenity indictment against Paul F. Little, known as Max Hardcore, and MaxWorld Entertainment.

In mid-June, the DOJ filed one charge of selling obscene material against Sami R. Harb and Michael Harb, who operated the Internet business Movies by Mail. Those charges were filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.