July 20, 2015

Modesto Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography and Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor

FRESNO, CA—Ricky Davis, 36, of Modesto was sentenced today to 25 years in prison by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. On March 25, 2015, Davis was found guilty pursuant to a five-day jury trial on separate counts of production of child pornography, as well as the attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

According to evidence presented at trial, in September 2011 Davis invited a 13-year-old minor to his home for the ostensible purpose of giving her a tattoo. After her arrival, Davis instead took sexually explicit photographs of her and posted them online within an advertisement for prostitution. Davis also provided the minor’s contact information to someone responding to this advertisement. An analysis of digital evidence revealed the photographs to have been on Davis’s cellphone and computer, and metadata from the pictures established that they were taken from a cellphone matching the make and model of Davis’s phone.

U.S. Attorney Wagner stated: “Targeting children for sexual exploitation is disturbing and unacceptable. The U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to combating these crimes and guarding the safety and well-being of every child.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol, all members of the FBI’s Sacramento-based Child Exploitation Task Force, as well as the South San Francisco Police Department and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian W. Enos and Alyson A. Berg 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.