FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
April 29, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: CR-F-10-00365 LJO

FRESNO, Calif.—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill sentenced William Hal Baldwin, 66, of Patterson, to 21 years and 10 months in prison for his convictions on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release during which his access to computers, the Internet, and minors will be restricted. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Modesto Office and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Gappa.

According to court documents, a minor victim disclosed to law enforcement that Baldwin had molested the victim from 2005 through early 2010. In a plea agreement, Baldwin admitted he knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing video images of the victim engaged in that conduct. Baldwin agreed to forfeit approximately $12,747 and various items used in connection with commission of the offenses. The money is the proceeds from the sale of the residence that Baldwin owned and in which the abuse occurred and was documented. The court ordered that this money be applied toward restitution for the victim.

Baldwin has been detained as a danger to the community and a flight risk since his initial appearance in federal court on August 30, 2010.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.

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