Fresno man sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for distribution of child pornography

FRESNO, Calif. — A Fresno man was sentenced in federal court Monday to 12 years and seven months in prison for distribution of child pornography, the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

According to court documents, between November 28, 2012 and January 24, 2013, David Thomas Hume, 37, distributed more than 600 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images also depicted prepubescent minors involved in sadism, masochism and acts of violence.

Hume was taken into custody February 14, 2013, and indicted two weeks later for distribution of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to this charge February 24, 2014.

"Each time an image of child pornography is viewed, that child is victimized again," said Mike Prado, resident agent in charge of HSI Fresno. "As a result of HSI's close collaboration with our law enforcement partners here in the Central Valley, this individual will be held accountable for his actions and spend many years behind bars, where he can no longer victimize innocent children."

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 10,000 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 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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. 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.