FRESNO, Calif. - Four men have pleaded guilty to child exploitation offenses in separate cases in federal court this week, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
Las Vegas Attorney Admitted He Traveled to Bakersfield to Find Minor Victims
Charles Max Pollock, 43, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today to two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. In August 2013, he made two trips from Las Vegas to Bakersfield and rented a hotel room. He encouraged minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct and engaged in at least one illegal sexual act with one minor victim. Pollock is licensed to practice law in Nevada and California. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill. Pollock faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case. Case 1:14-cr-139 LJO
Defendant Arrested in Mexico After Anonymous Tip
Michael David Wilson, 30, of Delano, pleaded guilty today to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. An indictment against Wilson was filed on July 25, 2013, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He is a U.S. citizen and was featured on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Operation Predator App as wanted for the outstanding warrant. Someone in Mexico provided an anonymous tip that Wilson had been living in Mexicali, Mexico. He was arrested in Mexicali on April 2, 2014, and turned over by Mexican immigration authorities to Homeland Security Investigation agents in Calexico. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1, 2014, by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii. Wilson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case. Case 1:13-cr-00293 AWI
Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography
Mathew Shawn Broadway, 31, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Several of the more than 600 images depicted prepubescent minors. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge O’Neill on Nov. 17, 2014. Broadway faces up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. S. Richards and Christopher D. Baker are prosecuting the case. Case 1:13-cr-268 LJO
Kern County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography
Richard Leroy James, 50, of Caliente, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted that he had received the images via the Internet. Several of the more than 600 images depicted prepubescent minors. James is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 3, 2014, before Judge Ishii. James faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case. Case 1:13-cr-348 AWI
For each case, the actual sentence 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.
These cases were 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
