SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Michael Tamblin, 51, of Manteca, charging him with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to the indictment, in September and October of 2015, Tamblin surreptitiously filmed a child on numerous occasions using a hidden camera.
According to court documents, Tamblin was a technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which is a secured federal laboratory owned by the United States Department of Energy. All internet searches on the LLNL network are recorded and periodically audited. A routine review of internet searches on Tamblin’s computer revealed potentially inappropriate activity. Further investigation led law enforcement officers to obtain a search warrant for Tamblin’s residence. On Feb. 19, 2016, Tamblin was arrested and has remained in custody since that date.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Rosanne Rust is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Tamblin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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
