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Press Release

Citrus Heights Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley sentenced David John Alcock, 48, of Citrus Heights, today to 24 years and four months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Alcock sexually abused a 13-year-old victim for months, producing multiple visual depictions of those acts. Alcock sent at least one video recording of the victim engaging in sexual acts to another person over the internet in exchange for different files depicting children engaged in sexual acts. On the date of his arrest, over 200 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, some as young as toddlers, were found on Alcock’s iPhone.

“Today’s sentence reflects the extremely serious and disturbing nature of Alcock’s criminal conduct, which targeted children,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The defendant engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the victim over the course of many months, while simultaneously trafficking in videos and images of children being sexually abused and exploited. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to investigating, prosecuting and stopping those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“Sexual abuse against children is a pervasive and unfathomable crime that impacts innocent victims and threatens the safety of our youth, who are the future of our communities,” Citrus Heights Police Chief Alexander A. Turcotte said. “The Citrus Heights Police Department is committed to bringing the defendants in these cases to justice. We are especially grateful for the collaborative efforts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the US Attorney's Office, who assisted with ensuring that Mr. Alcock was held accountable for his actions and that justice was sought for the involved victims.”

“This is one of many cases where our office worked jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to successfully hold sex offenders accountable for the horrific crimes committed against children,” states Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. “Our office’s Cybercrimes Unit and the Citrus Heights Police Department worked together to investigate a cyber tip, which resulted in child molestation charges. Given the additional resources and increased sentencing potential in federal court, we are grateful the U.S. Attorney’s Office took the lead on the prosecution of this case.”

“This case exemplifies the work the FBI and our law enforcement partners at the Citrus Heights Police Department do to identify and investigate child predators who exploit innocence and trust in our community,” said Special Agent in charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “David Alcock used his position as a trusted neighbor in his community to prey upon the innocence of a child who lived nearby. Not only did Alcock sexually abuse this child, he distributed videos of his abuse to others on the internet. Additionally, Alcock admitted to collecting child pornography for two decades. His actions revictimized the minors featured in these images and videos all over again. The FBI is committed to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure anyone who sexually abuses children and/or produces, obtains or shares images of such abuse faces justice.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Citrus Heights Police Department, the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall 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.

Updated January 6, 2022

Topic
Project Safe Childhood