March 19, 2015

Modesto Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, CA—Danny M. Shatswell Jr., 44, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to producing visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Shatswell used a webcam to produce sexually explicit images of a minor. The minor victim reported to law enforcement that Shatswell was abusing her. When they searched his electronic storage devices and equipment they recovered sexually explicit images that Shatswell produced of his victim in 2010 and 2011.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Modesto Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s High Tech Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

Shatswell is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Shatswell faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will 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.