Man Arrested In A Park In Davis Pleads Guilty To Receipt And Distribution Of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Nicholas Robert Bowen, 63, of Grizzly Flat, pleaded guilty today to receipt and distribution of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Bowen took a woman to a Davis park and had her expose herself to 10-12 year old boys while Bowen filmed using a spy camera built into his glasses. They were arrested by Davis police. A subsequent search of Bowen’s phone and computer discovered over 600 images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Davis Police Department, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, and the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. 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. Assistant United States Attorney Todd A. Pickles is prosecuting the case.

Bowen is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Troy L. Nunley on February 19, 2015. Bowen faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.