Redding Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nicholas Torrieri, 43, of Redding, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 14 years in prison for receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be supervised by the court for the rest of his life.

According to court documents, in October 2014 and again in January 2015, agents identified a computer offering files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct through a file-sharing network. The computer’s Internet Protocol address was traced to Torrieri’s residence. On February 11, 2015, agents searched the residence and seized several digital devices. A subsequent forensic review of these devices uncovered more than 600 images and 240 videos containing child pornography.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement discovered a videotape of a 1998 television talk show about how to protect children from sexual abuse. Torrieri appeared on the show and claimed that he had participated in hundreds of incidents of victimizing children, including both encouraging minors to expose themselves and actual molestation. At today’s sentencing, Judge Mueller noted that he has “a compulsion that he has been unable to control.”

“Criminals who create and distribute pornographic images of children often fuel the behavior of like-minded predators who covet this despicable content. Innocent victims are left with permanent scars that can never be entirely healed,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge for HSI San Francisco. “This sentencing is a testament to the dedicated HSI agents and our law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to root out predators and make them face the judgment they deserve.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special Assistant United States Attorney Josh F. Sigal 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.