Chico Man Found Guilty of Child Pornography Offense

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a three–day trial, a federal jury found Frank W. Coon, 51, of Chico, guilty today of one count of receipt of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The trial was held before United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr.

According to evidence presented at trial, when agents executed a search warrant in March 2012, they found Coon inside his apartment at the keyboard of a computer. That computer was later found to be filled with child pornography videos. It was ultimately determined that over the course of approximately seven months, Coon used peer-to-peer software to download 117 child pornography videos. Several videos involved the portrayal of sadistic, masochistic, and other depictions of violence, and included depictions of pre-pubescent minors.

This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew G. Morris and Rosanne Rust are prosecuting the case.

After the jury verdict, the defendant was remanded into custody.

Coon is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Burrell on August 5, 2016. Coon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum possible 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.justice.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety.

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