Two Reno Residents Sentenced For Possession Of Child Pornography

RENO, Nev. — Two Reno residents — who each pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in separate cases — were sentenced today to federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada. Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda Du presided over both sentencing hearings.                                                                                                            

U.S. v. Edward C. Wright

Edward C. Wright, 60, of Reno (Sun Valley), Nevada, was indicted in February 2019 and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in September 2020. Wright was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release.

According to court documents, in March 2018, detectives with the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit began investigating Wright for failure to change his address as a sex offender. Wright is required to register as a sex offender due to a prior felony conviction in 2003 for possession of child pornography. Since 2003, Wright had three convictions for failure to register as a sex offender.

In January 2019, a forensic examination of Wright’s tablet revealed approximately 250 images of child sexual assault, including masochistic or sadistic material. The images were stored in a specialized application that disguises itself as a clock, and is designed to hide user files in a hidden vault.

U.S. v. Luis O. Rodriguez

Luis O. Rodriguez, 59, of Fallon, Nevada, was indicted in January 2019 and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in August 2019. Rodriguez was sentenced to three years in federal prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. In addition, Rodriguez was ordered to pay a total of $24,000 in restitution to eight victims.

According to court documents, between January 2017 and July 2018, law enforcement downloaded child pornography (via a peer-to-peer file sharing network) from an electronic device located at Rodriguez’s residence. During the execution of a search warrant at Rodriguez’s residence, law enforcement seized four electronic devices. A forensic examination of the seized devices revealed more than 150,000 images and videos of child sexual assault, including sadistic and masochistic conduct involving children under 12 years old.

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Under the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, both Wright and Rodriguez are required to register as sex offenders.

These cases were investigated by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (which includes Sparks Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Nevada Attorney General, Reno Police Department, Carson City Sheriff’s Office, and Lyon County Sheriff’s Office). Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy St. Clair prosecuted the cases.

These cases were 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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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