Citrus Heights Man Indicted for Receiving Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Feb. 15, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Kyle Travis Colton, 36, of Citrus Heights, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton received visual depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment was unsealed today.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Colton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 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 exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.