Los Angeles-area man sentenced to more than 20 years for producing child pornography related to molestation of relative

LOS ANGELES — An Antelope Valley man who admitted he used his camera phone to make videos while he molested a 3-month-old relative was sentenced Tuesday to 250 months in federal prison, following a probe by the Long Beach-based multiagency Child Exploitation Investigations Group (CEIG), which is spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Robert Dale Schrader, 34, of Littlerock, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess, who also ordered that Schrader remain under supervision for the rest of his life following his release from prison.

At Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Schrader told Judge Feess there was a connection between looking at online child pornography and his actually molesting children. Schrader described how viewing child pornography created for him a link between children and sexual desire, ultimately leading him to molest children and produce child pornography.

According to court documents, authorities began investigating Schrader early this year after he communicated via email with an undercover law enforcement officer based in England. In those emails, Schrader sent sexually explicit images of an infant, and data embedded in those images led authorities to Schrader's Littlerock home.

On Jan. 29, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Schrader's residence, where they rescued the infant who had been molested. Authorities discovered approximately 200 child pornography images and videos depicting the baby.

During the investigation, authorities uncovered evidence that Schrader had also molested at least two other victims, a 12-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. Schrader currently faces additional charges that have been filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Schrader "repeatedly sexually abused his 3-month-old [relative]," federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. "He found online communities of like-minded individuals and bragged to them about his exploits with children, sharing his photographic trophies with them in hopes of obtaining similar child pornography in exchange. In this way, defendant emboldened and encouraged other individuals to also molest children, and also produce child pornography."

In addition to HSI, other agencies actively involved in the CEIG include the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).