13 July – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Law enforcement officials today announced charges against 28 Southland defendants who are accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. Federal officials this morning arrested five of the defendants, and nine of the defendants have agreed to plead guilty.
The cases announced today are the result of independent investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service and the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Huntington Beach Police Department provided substantial assistance by performing computer forensic work on many of the cases. Also participating in the investigations were the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Brea Police Department, the Newport Beach Police Department, the Irvine Police Department, the Anaheim Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Cypress Police Department, the Indio Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The 28 cases announced today are in addition to 99 child exploitation cases that have been filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California over the past 30 months.
“This aggressive sweep of child pornographers will bring some justice to the numerous and unfortunate children who have been exploited for sexual purposes,” said United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang. “These cases should send a strong message that law enforcement will act to protect our children, who are the future of our society.”
All of the cases involve at least one of two federal charges. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count. The charge of distribution or receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years.
