Oakland man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography
OAKLAND, Calif. – An Oakland man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to possession of child pornography, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
In pleading guilty, Lawrence Ham, 52, admitted that between June 26, 2015, and July 14, 2015, he possessed sexually explicit images of children on his computer and in print. Ham further admitted the images included depictions of prepubescent children engaged in conduct involving sadistic or masochistic abuse of the victims.
According to the criminal complaint, in June 2015, a computer repairman was working on Ham’s computer and viewed images of children in various states of undress on the device. The repairman contacted the Concord Police Department and the matter was referred to the Oakland Police Department. On July 14, 2015, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland Police Department executed a search warrant at Ham’s apartment and found computer-based and printed images of child pornography.
Ham, who was charged March 31 with one count of possession of child pornography, is currently being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28 before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Marie Barton with the assistance of Trina Khadoo.
“Victims are abused again and again with every view of a sexually explicit image or video of a minor,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco. “HSI, together with its law enforcement partners, is using every tool at our disposal to find and catch predators who target innocent children for their own heinous and perverse gratification.”
This investigation was conducted under the auspices of 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.
Updated: