FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
April 9, 2012	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 2:11-0404 WBS

            SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Kenneth W. Sandstrom, 52, of Marysville, was sentenced today by United States District Judge William B. Shubb, to three years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.

            According to court documents, in April 2011, Sandstrom had two computers, an external hard drive, and several CDs and DVDs that contained approximately 3,000 images and videos of child pornography that he had collected between January 2000 and April 13, 2011. Among the images and videos collected were graphic depictions of the sexual molestation of prepubescent children, including scenes of rape and sadism.

            In sentencing Sandstrom, Judge Shubb said that the serious crime impacted the victims depicted in the images and videos possessed by the defendant. He also sought to send a message to others who might use the Internet to download child pornography.

            This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department comprising agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon prosecuted 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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