Ex-Selma police officer pleads guilty to receiving child pornography

FRESNO, Calif. - A former Selma, Calif., police officer pleaded guilty here Monday to charges of receiving child pornography following an investigation involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Angel Landin, 46, of Selma, Calif., is slated to be sentenced Oct. 11. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to the plea agreement, Landin received more than 600 images and videos of child pornography on his computer. Some of the images and videos involved the portrayal of sadistic and masochistic acts, and other depictions of violence.

This case is the result of Operation Direct Connect, an extensive series of investigations by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes ICE HSI and the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.

Suspicions about Landin initially arose after ICE HSI agents investigating the distribution of child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing software determined that a computer at Landin's residence had received multiple image files of child pornography over the Internet.

This investigation is part of ICE's Operation Predator, a nationwide initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who sexually exploit children, and the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, which uses federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet.

As part of Operation Predator, ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

Through Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice seeks to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.