FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
March 23, 2012	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #:01: 12-cr-82-SKO

            FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that on Thursday, March 22, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Timothy Valdez, 36, of Modesto, charging him with production of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

            According to court documents, in December 2011, federal agents and Canadian officials received a referral from Danish law enforcement about child pornography on the Internet that appeared to originate from North America. The child pornography was in the form of a video in which a male adult was seen molesting a young boy. Through extensive investigative work, the identity of the defendant was established on Friday, March 9, 2012. Valdez was arrested the following day.

            If convicted of the charges, Valdez faces a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, if convicted, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

            This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Modesto Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stanley A. Boone is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please 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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