Former Reedley Resident Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wanger announced today that Samuel Garza, 32, formerly of Reedley, pleaded guilty today to receiving child pornography.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Gappa.

According to court documents, between December 2008, and September 20, 2009, Garza used a computer and the Internet to receive images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He received between 300 and 600 images, several of which depicted prepubescent minors, and some of which depicted images of violence or acts of sadistic or masochistic conduct.

Garza was remanded into custody today. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 23, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. before Senior United States District Judge Oliver W. Wanger. The sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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.