Wrangell Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

JUNEAU, AK—United States Attorney Nelson P. Cohen announced that on January 20, 2009, Rock Shoghi Baldwin, a resident of Wrangell, Alaska, most recently living in Ketchikan, was sentenced in federal court in Juneau to 151 months imprisonment, for his convictions on four counts of distribution and two counts of possession of child pornography. Baldwin was also sentenced to a 20-year term of supervised release, during which Baldwin is required to participate in sex offender treatment, and to restrict his use of computers and contact with children under 18 years of age.

United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess imposed the sentence on Baldwin, age 50.

According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Audrey J. Renschen, Baldwin distributed child pornography on four occasions using e-mail to send picture attachments. He also possessed thousands of images of child pornography at his home and at work. One of the possession counts was based on Baldwin’s possession of child pornography at his home in Wrangell, Alaska. A computer tower and other external media storage items containing child pornography were found in the bedroom of Baldwin’s residence. The second possession count was based on Baldwin’s possession of child pornography in Juneau, where he was working aboard the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, Taku. Federal agents in Juneau found child pornography images stored on a media card in Baldwin’s personal digital assistant (PDA) and stored on multiple DVDs found with his portable DVD player in his personal quarters aboard the ferry.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Burgess emphasized that the greatest harm of Baldwin’s crimes was the permanent harm to the victims depicted in the child exploitation images. “What has been done to them (victims) cannot be undone. Their victimization lives on.” Judge Burgess stated that Baldwin’s online purchases of child pornography images, and his further distribution of those images promoted harm to children, which “cannot be tolerated, and must be stopped.” Judge Burgess further reminded those in court that the term “child pornography” does not capture the violence and the harm depicted in the images. “These are real people, real victims, whose lives are changed forever.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Baldwin, with assistance by the Wrangell Police Department, the Alaska State Troopers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, all of whom are members of the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to better identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.