May 21, 2014

Antelope Valley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Producing Child Pornography Related to Molestation of Relative

LOS ANGELES—An Antelope Valley man pleaded guilty this morning to a federal charge of producing child pornography, admitting that he used his camera phone to make videos while he molested a 3-month-old relative.

Robert Dale Schrader, 33, of Littlerock, pleaded guilty to charge before United States District Judge Gary A. Feess, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 18.

At sentencing, Schrader faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and he could be ordered to serve up to 30 years in custody.

According to court documents, authorities began investigating Schrader in January after he communicated via e-mail with an undercover law enforcement officer based in England. In those e-mails, Schrader sent sexually explicit images of an infant, and data embedded in those images led authorities to Schrader’s Littlerock home.

On January 29, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Schrader’s residence, where they rescued the infant who had been molested. Authorities discovered approximately 200 child pornography images and videos depicting the baby.

The case against Schrader is the result of an investigation by the Child Exploitation Investigations Group, a task force based in Long Beach and spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Other agencies actively involved in the group include the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).