Stockton Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joseph Aaron McClendon, 39, of Stockton, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two and a half years in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. On release, McClendon will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, between March and November 2012, federal agents detected McClendon’s computer offering images of child pornography through a file-sharing peer-to-peer network. Agents executed a federal search warrant and seized McClendon’s computer. A subsequent forensic review found approximately 700 images and 95 videos of child pornography that had been downloaded by McClendon. These images and videos included depictions of prepubescent children, as well as acts of sadistic and masochistic conduct involving minors.

“Downloading sexually explicit images and videos of young children not only creates lifelong scars for victims, it also enables perpetrators around the globe to continuously exploit those same innocent victims,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge for HSI San Francisco. “HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to target criminals who prey on the most vulnerable members of society.”

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 Amy Schuller Hitchcock 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.