Five Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 03, 2011 |
SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that yesterday, a federal grand jury returned indictments against five individuals charging them with using peer-to-peer software to distribute images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
A one-count indictment charged Gerardo Tomas Almeida, Jr., 31, of Elk Grove, with distributing images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. According to court documents, Almeida came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2010, through an undercover operation focusing on computer users distributing images of child pornography through peer-to-peer file-sharing programs. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.
A two-count indictment charged Dustin Cassady, 29, of Carmichael, with receipt and distribution and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. He was arrested by the FBI after an undercover investigation into online distribution of child pornography using a file-sharing network. The investigation revealed that Cassady’s involvement with children through his church might have been putting children at risk of exploitation. At his arraignment yesterday, Cassady pleaded not guilty and has been released on the condition that he have no contact with children. His next court date is February 15, 2010. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Morris is prosecuting the case.
The grand jury also returned a two-count indictment charging Justin Graham, 29, of Lincoln, with distribution and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. He was arrested on January 20, 2011, by the FBI after an undercover investigation into online distribution of child pornography over a file-sharing network. Information obtained in that investigation revealed that Graham’s employment as a children’s martial arts instructor had potentially put children at risk of exploitation. Graham remains in custody pending further court proceedings. He is scheduled to be arraigned today at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Morris is prosecuting the case.
Robert Curtis Bauer, 62, of Roseville, was charged in a two-count indictment with distribution and possession of child pornography. Between May 15, 2008, and May 2, 2010, Bauer distributed child pornography using a file-sharing network. This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.
Steven Munoz, 52, of Fairfield, was charged in a two-count indictment with distribution and possession of child pornography. Between April 10, 2010, and June 10, 2010, Munoz distributed child pornography using a file-sharing network. This case is the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.
The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of distribution of child pornography is 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, and a lifetime term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will 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 and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.