Chico Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Receipt, Distribution and Conspiracy to Produce Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Jesse Davenport, aka Draco John Flama, 41, of Chico, today to 50 years in prison for conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Davenport was found guilty by a jury on October 3, 2016.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in August 2013, Davenport conspired with a woman in Connecticut to produce a video of child pornography after meeting her in an online chat room that focused on bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism. At the time, Davenport was on parole and on an electronic ankle monitor for a prior offense. On September 5, 2013, during a parole search, Davenport’s parole officer found an internet-capable cellphone in Davenport’s possession. The officer seized a micro-SD card from the phone to search it for contraband. Several days later, Davenport cut off his electronic monitor and fled from parole. Davenport was arrested in Redding, California on September 12, 2013.

According to evidence presented at trial, a subsequent search of the seized micro-SD card revealed a video of a woman engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a child approximately two to three years old. Further investigation led to the woman in Connecticut who was later arrested. She testified at trial that when Davenport learned she babysat for a two-and-half-year-old girl, he requested that she record a sexually explicit video of the minor and send it to him. The Connecticut woman made the video following Davenport’s instructions and sent it to him two times. Davenport then distributed the video to another person. Court documents indicate that Davenport has prior convictions for sex offenses against minors.

U.S. Attorney Talbert said, “Children are the most vulnerable members of our society, and we must do everything we can to protect them from horrific crimes like those committed by this defendant. The sentence handed down today rightly punishes the defendant for his conduct and seeks to ensure that he will not be able to commit crimes against children in the future. My office is committed to protecting the public by continuing to prosecute crimes against children.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Butte County District Attorney's Office, the Redding Police Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney André M. Espinosa prosecuted the case.

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. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.