Stockton man sentenced to 30 months in prison for possession of child pornography
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Stockton man has been sentenced 30 months in prison for possession of child pornography, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Joseph Aaron McClendon, 39, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schuller Hitchcock prosecuted the case.
According to court documents, between March and November 2012, HSI special agents detected that McClendon’s computer was offering images of child pornography through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Investigators executed a federal search warrant and seized McClendon’s computer. A subsequent forensic review found approximately 700 images and 95 videos of child pornography that had been downloaded by the defendant. The images and videos included depictions of pre-pubescent children, as well as acts of sadistic and masochistic conduct involving minors.
“Downloading sexually explicit images and videos of young children not only creates lifelong scars for victims, it also enables perpetrators around the globe to continuously exploit those same innocent victims,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge for HSI San Francisco. “HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to target criminals who prey on the most vulnerable members of society.”
This case is a product of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
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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