SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Shasta County,
Calif., man was formally indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on a
criminal charge stemming from a far-reaching international child pornography
probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI) that has resulted in numerous arrests worldwide.
Jason B. Scarcello, 42, of Anderson,
Calif., is accused of receiving child pornography. According to the indictment,
between April and June, Scarcello used a file-sharing program to download
multiple movies depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Scarcello was
arrested July 25 after HSI special agents executed a federal search warrant at
his residence and discovered CDs and DVDs containing sexually explicit images
and videos of children.
According to the search warrant
affidavit, suspicions about Scarcello first arose after investigators
determined he had engaged in computer chats with a previously charged suspect
in Kansas, Michael Arnett. From August 2010 through March 2012, Scarcello and
Arnett allegedly discussed in computer chats the abuse of child victims.
The charges are part of an ongoing
HSI-led investigation that originated in Boston. In 2010, the U.S. Attorney's
Office for the District of Massachusetts and HSI Boston arrested and convicted
Robert Diduca on child pornography production charges. Forensic analysis of
Diduca's computer led investigators to the Netherlands where a Dutch national
was arrested and charged with production, distribution and possession of child
pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87 minors. Since that time, a
global network of offenders has been identified, including this defendant. To
date, more than 140 children have been rescued and 43 perpetrators arrested
worldwide as a result.
Scarcello was arraigned Thursday before
U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan and pleaded not guilty. His next court
appearance is set for Sept. 21 before U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell
Jr. If convicted, Scarcello faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew
Morris.
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