Yuba County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — John Maasen, 65, of Olivehurst, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Jan. 16, 2019, Maasen knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Maasen has a prior conviction by the State of California for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of fourteen.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea J. Kenny and Amy S. Hitchcock are prosecuting the case.

Maasen is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Sept. 15. Maasen faces a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine. 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.

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.