FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Monday, May 21, 2012
Docket #: 1:10-cr-00449 LJO

FRESNO, Calif. — Nicholas Gregory Halvorson, 31, formerly of Groveland, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to 12 years and seven months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receiving and sharing child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, between September 2006 and December 2007, Halvorson received and shared over the Internet more than 1,400 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He was charged on November 4, 2010 and has been detained in federal custody since January 13, 2011. He pleaded guilty to the charges on January 17, 2012.

“Today’s prison sentence is fitting for someone who robs children of their innocence and continues to sexually exploit them by producing and trading the illegal images with predators around the world,” said Kim Wong, resident agent in charge of HSI in Stockton. “Investigating this type of criminal activity is a priority for HSI and we will continue to dedicate our resources to identify and bring to justice other child predators who victimize children in this same manner.”

This case was the result of an extensive investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Stockton, Fresno, and Jackson, Miss.  Assistant United States Attorney Brian W. Enos 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.

####

 

Return to Top