Sacramento Man Indicted on Enticement and Child Pornography Charges

SACRAMENTO, CA—A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today charging Eric G. Lowe, 34, of Sacramento, with attempted production of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Lowe is scheduled for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows at 2:00 p.m. today.

The indictment alleges that between April 25, 2012 and June 11, 2012, Lowe attempted to persuade a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and attempted to produce images of child pornography.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.

The statutory penalty for attempted production of child pornography is 15 years to life in prison. The statutory penalty for attempted enticement of a minor is 10 years to life in prison. Both crimes also include fines of up to $250,000 and require terms of supervised release of no less than five years and up to life. The actual sentence, if convicted, 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.

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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”