SACRAMENTO, Calif. -Christopher Lee, 66, of Auburn, pleaded guilty today to one count of production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Lee repeatedly used a webcam to produce child pornography involving a seven-year-old child and shared the live-streamed video with an individual who lived in England.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee S. Bickley is prosecuting the case.
Lee is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller on Oct. 28. Lee faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 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 U.S. 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
