United States Attorney Tara K. McGrath | U.S. Department of Justice
A Borrego Springs man, Robert Clonts, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child sex abuse material. Clonts, a registered sex offender, was found with approximately 147 images of such material.
The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received information from an online service provider about a customer uploading these images on May 25, 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Clonts as the individual responsible for the uploads.
Clonts was arrested in December 2023 and admitted to obtaining and viewing child pornography on various devices. He confirmed that his email address and phone number were linked to the account used to upload the images.
On August 13, 2024, Clonts pleaded guilty to possessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Court documents revealed that he had a prior conviction in 1990 for lewd acts with a child under 14, which led to his registration as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath commented on the case: “This defendant’s actions are a grave violation of both the law and human decency.” She emphasized that those endangering children will face justice.
Stacey Moy, FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, stated: “This sentence should send a clear message that individuals who think they can get away with sexually exploiting children will be vehemently sought by law enforcement and ultimately brought to justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Sherwood is prosecuting this case.
The charge against Clonts falls under Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2452(a)(4)(B), which carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, supervised release for life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
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