Lincoln Karate Instructor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced Justin Graham, 31, of Lincoln, today to 20 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release for sharing child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Upon his release, Graham will be required to register as a sex offender. Graham pleaded guilty to the charges on March 9, 2012. The prison term is the highest penalty that could have been imposed for the crime.

According to court documents, an undercover investigation determined that Graham was trading child pornography over the Internet. After his arrest, investigators learned that he had been surreptitiously recording video of some of his karate students, including children, when they had been dressing and undressing in his home. Review of Graham’s computer located tens of thousands of images and videos of other children being sexually exploited, according to court records.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris 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.