Airman Indicted for Second Child Pornography Offense

SACRAMENTO, CA—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging NATHAN TYLER SECHREST, 29, Belleville, Ill., with receipt and possession of child pornography.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon, who is prosecuting the case, the indictment charges SECHREST with receiving depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct between January 26, 2008 and January 28, 2008. Additionally, on January 28, 2008, SECHREST possessed one or more matters containing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Both offenses occurred while the defendant was in Tokyo, Japan. Finally, the indictment charges that SECHREST was convicted in 2006 by the Air Force under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for knowing and wrongful possession, receipt, and display of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted of these offenses, SECHREST faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine due to his a prior conviction for a child pornography offense. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals 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.

The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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