Woodland Man Indicted for Production of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, CA—A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Raul Gonzalez, 40, of Woodland, charging him with production of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, on October 13, 2013, in Yolo County, Gonzalez had a minor engage in sexually explicit conduct and produced a visual depiction of such conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.

Gonzalez was arrested on November 6, 2013, and he made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn K. Delaney on November 7, 2013. At that time he was detained as both a flight risk and danger to the community. Arraignment is set for November 21, 2013.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces a maximum statutory penalty of not less than 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice ongoing Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched to increase federal prosecutions of sexual predators of children and to reduce the number of Internet crimes against children, including child pornography trafficking. As a part of PSC, the United States Attorney’s Office has teamed with state and local agencies and organizations to increase law enforcement presence on the Internet and to educate the public about safe Internet use, thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators. For additional information on the PSC initiative, please go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.