Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty To Receipt Of Child Pornography

FRESNO, Calif. — Bradley James Ghilarducci, 66, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to receipt of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Ghilarducci admitted that between February and August 2012, he received images of minors engaged in sexual activity through the Internet.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Michael G. Tierney is prosecuting the case.

Ghilarducci is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill on April 14, 2014. Ghilarducci faces a statutory penalty of five years to 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.

Plea Agreement