FRESNO, Calif. - Shane Paul Young, 44, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to one count of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, between February 2012 and October 2012, Young possessed more than 600 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors, and some were of violence or sadistic or masochistic conduct. He initially told investigators that he did not possess any child pornography, but later he conceded that he had been communicating with registered sex offenders and had saved images of child pornography on several DVDs that he had labeled “Turn in to DOJ." He explained that he had intended to turn over the material to appropriate people at some time.
Young is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on March 30, 2015. Young faces 10 to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, 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. Young has been in custody as a danger to the community and a flight risk since his initial federal court appearance on April 9, 2013.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case.
The case is 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.justice.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
