Placer County Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller sentenced Paul Ross Pacini, 46, of Rocklin, to five years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, an undercover investigation revealed that from June 2013 through August 2013, Pacini used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to make available more than 300 files of pictures and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children. A search warrant executed at Pacini’s home revealed that his computers contained more than 2,500 images and more than 900 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, and that at various times, many of those videos were made available to others over the Internet. The images and videos Pacini possessed involved the portrayal of sadistic, masochistic, and other depictions of violence, and included depictions of prepubescent minors under 12 years old.

This case was the product of an 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 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 André M. Espinosa prosecuted the case.

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.