Sacramento, California - Zaid Bader Jacob, 49, of West Sacramento, pleaded guilty Tuesday to receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between January and April 2015, Jacob used a computer to receive files depicting child pornography. Jacob was identified by law enforcement after they identified an IP address at Jacob’s residence that was making child pornography available over the internet via a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case.

Jacob is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on November 29, 2018. Jacob faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and 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 U.S. 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.