Man Sentenced to 14 Years on Child Pornography Charges

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell sentenced, Joseph Cantrelle, 61, most recently of Vacaville, to 14 years and two months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distributing child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, agents searched residences where Cantrelle stayed in Napa and Rancho Cordova. On his computer, Cantrelle maintained a collection of approximately 561 videos and 4,079 still images depicting minors engaged in various types of sexually explicit conduct. He shared and posted the images from his computer to others on the Internet. Cantrelle pleaded guilty on November 2, 2012.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Prince prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.