California man ordered to serve 15-year sentence for child pornography offenses
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A northern California man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for child pornography offenses, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Daniel L. Bonnett, 40, of Sacramento, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. According to court documents, between Jan. 27, 2013, and Feb. 14, 2013, Bonnett sent and received images depicting the sexual exploitation of children over peer-to-peer file sharing networks and by using other Internet applications. When he was arrested, Bonnett had multiple computers each containing thousands of images and videos of child pornography. At Tuesday’s sentencing, Judge Mendez noted the combination of prison time and supervision will result in Bonnett effectively spending the rest of his life under observation, which Judge Mendez said was necessary to protect the public from future crimes by Bonnett.
“The sexual exploitation of innocent children leaves lifelong emotional scars,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge for HSI San Francisco. “Viewing sexual images of young victims for personal pleasure is a heinous crime that subjects these children to exploitation over and over again, creating even more demand for new content to be ruthlessly produced and distributed.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Morris is prosecuted the case.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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