After a three-day trial, a federal jury found Colin Lovette Bosby, 50, of Bakersfield, guilty today of one count of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The trial was held before Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill.
According to evidence presented at trial, Bosby received child pornography through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program and possessed child pornography on thumb drives. Evidence at trial showed that the defendant sought out the child pornography by using search terms that are associated with the material.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. S. Richards and Vincenza Rabenn are prosecuting the case.
Bosby is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Judge O'Neill on October 25, 2017. Bosby faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for receipt and distribution of child pornography, and 20 years for each count of possession of child pornography. In addition, because Bosby has a prior sex offense, he faces mandatory minimum prison sentences of 15 years for receipt and 10 years for possession of child pornography. 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 visitwww.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.
