June 22, 2015

Ceres Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—George Esle Pires, 56, of Ceres, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to seven years and three months in prison for receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, between November 2006 and November 2012, Pires received images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ceres Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Grant B. Rabenn and Jeffrey Spivak 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.