November 13, 2014

Oroville Man Indicted for Receiving Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, CA—A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Jan Alan Shafer, 63, of Oroville, charging him with receipt of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, for more than two years, Shafer engaged in conversations of a sexual nature via e-mail and an Internet instant messenger service with an adult who was posing as a 10-year-old boy. During their e-mail exchanges, Shafer received images of child pornography, including sexually explicit images of prepubescent children.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Brian A. Fogerty is prosecuting the case.

Shafer was arrested on October 30, 2014, and remains in custody. He is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan on November 14, 2014.

If convicted, Shafer faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 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 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.