Fairfield Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that David Neal, 54, of Fairfield, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland Burrell, Jr. to seven years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing child pornography. Neal pleaded guilty on October 29, 2010.

According to court documents, on June 9, 2009, members of the Fairfield Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit executed a search warrant of David Neal’s residence and searched several computers. A forensic examination of his computers revealed 73 images and 289 videos of child pornography.

This case is the result of a joint investigation by the FBI Sacramento Division, Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force on Internet Crimes Against Children, and the Fairfield Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Prince and Ellen Endrizzi prosecuted 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.