Reedley Man Receives 37-Month Prison Sentence for Possessing Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Vincent Chavez, 33, of Reedley, to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

According to court documents, Chavez possessed child pornography on his computer, and some of the images Chavez possessed were of prepubescent minors. On August 5, 2011, Chavez pleaded guilty, and he has remained in custody since then.

This case is the result of Operation Direct Connect, an extensive series of investigations by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes the Fresno Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.