FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
May 27, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 2:10-CR-0056 KJM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Joshua Aaron Chadwick, 30, of Chico, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, law enforcement identified computers at Chadwick's residence that were offering files of child pornography for downloading through a file-sharing network. As a result of this information, a search warrant was obtained and executed on May 26, 2009. Two computers and several loose hard drives were recovered during the search. A forensic search of both computers found evidence of the possession of child pornography. A loose hard drive contained more than 600 videos showing the sexual molestation of children, as well as several thousand images of child erotica. Officers also found e-mails that Chadwick had received from two different websites offering him access to child pornography.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Sacramento ICAC is a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff's Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Anyone having information about the case should contact the ICAC Task Force at (916) 874-3003. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.

Chadwick is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on August 25, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and lifetime term of supervised release. Chadwick may also be ordered to make restitution to any of the victims of his crime, including the minors shown being sexually abused in the images and videos possessed by Chadwick. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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