SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Joseph Wood, 67, of Yuba City, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2009, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Wood’s home in Yuba City. Subsequent forensic review of computers and hard drives that belonged to Wood located several hundred images and videos of child pornography.
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Justice Major Crimes Team. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew G. Morris and Jeremy J. Kelley are prosecuting the case.
Wood is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on April 26, 2017. Wood faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.
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
