FRESNO, Calif. - Thomas Bettis, 54, of Tehachapi, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to 15 years in prison for receiving and distributing child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, between January and March 2013, Bettis received and distributed more than 600 images and video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct as attachments to email messages. The illicit files also involved the portrayal of sadistic, masochistic, and other depictions of violence, and included depictions of pre-pubescent minors. Bettis was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography on September 4, 2014, and pleaded guilty to this charge on Jan. 12, 2015.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Brian W. Enos is prosecuting 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
