Redding Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

SACRAMENTO, CA—Justin Sturn, 30, of Redding, was arrested on Wednesday by the FBI after a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging him with sharing child pornography.

According to court documents, on February 22, 2012, Sturn e-mailed videos containing depictions of the sexual exploitation of children. This was discovered because of a tip sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipLine.

Sturn was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan, where he pleaded not guilty. His next scheduled court date is June 19, 2012 before United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Morris is prosecuting the case.

The maximum statutory penalty for distribution of child pornography is 20 years in prison. The actual sentence, if convicted, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please 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.