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Press Release

Oakland Man Sentenced To 70 Months In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California

OAKLAND – Arnold Fischman was sentenced to 70 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Special Agent in Charge Ryan Spradlin  The sentence, entered yesterday by the Honorable Haywood Gilliam, U.S. District Judge, follows a guilty plea entered by the defendant.

Fischman, 69, of Oakland, pleaded guilty on September 12, 2016, to one count of possession of pornography depicting minors under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  According to his guilty plea, Fischman acknowledged that he was in possession of more than 600 images of child pornography on January 8, 2015, when federal agents executed a search of his residence.  Papers filed by the government reveal that a search warrant executed by HSI agents at Fischman’s home found more than 10,000 images and videos of child pornography on his electronic devices, including images depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as three to five years old.  The government charged Fischman with possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). 

The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Haywood Gilliam, U.S. District Judge.  Judge Gilliam ordered Fischman to self-surrender to begin serving his sentence no later than March 27, 2017.  Judge Gilliam also imposed a five year period of supervised release to follow Fischman’s prison term.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Green prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trina Khadoo.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the HSI.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.

Updated February 22, 2017

Topic
Violent Crime