Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Michael Shane McFarling, 38, of Fresno, California, pleaded guilty to receipt or distribution of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct before Chief United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii. Following his guilty plea, McFarling was immediately taken into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

According to the plea agreement, McFarling received more than 600 images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct also involved the portrayal of sadistic, masochistic, and other depictions of violence. McFarling received the child pornography on his computer, and many of the minors depicted were prepubescent minors.

The maximum penalties for the offense are 20 years of imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, or both imprisonment and a fine; and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. 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. McFarling’s sentencing hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. on May 14, 2012.

This case is the result of an extensive investigation by the Fresno Police Department, California Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.