Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that Nicholas James Ferguson was sentenced today in federal court in San Diego by United States District Court Judge John A. Houston to serve 130 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, based upon his conviction for receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2). Ferguson tendered his guilty plea on March 17, 2011.

According to the court records, Ferguson admitted that between March 22, 2010 and October 14, 2010, he knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Houston noted that Ferguson was previously convicted of a sex offense involving a 9-year-old. At the time of his arrest, Ferguson was a registered sex offender. “This sentence sends a message that recidivist child sex offenders, including those who continue to sexually exploit children through child pornography, will not be tolerated in this community,” stated United States Attorney Duffy.

This case stems from an investigation by the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), whose members include the Chula Vista Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Attorney’s Office, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service, the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the National City Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, the Oceanside Police Department, the El Cajon Police Department, and the San Diego State University PoliceDepartment. For additional information regarding ICAC, please visit www.sdicac.org

These cases are being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Case Number: 11cr0805-JAH

DEFENDANT
Nicholas James Ferguson
Age: 29
San Diego, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(2) (Receipt of Child Pornography)