Sacramento, California - A Modesto man was sentenced today to 23.5 years in prison for producing child pornography, and a Shasta County man was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison for receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

“Protecting the most vulnerable members of society is one of this office’s top priorities, and no one is more vulnerable than child victims of sexual exploitation crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Wagner.

“All children deserve a safe and healthy childhood free from abuse and exploitation. These crimes are among the most heartbreaking and abhorrent we investigate, especially when such are committed by someone the child trusts,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Manuel Alvarez of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Sacramento field office. “We are committed to identifying and investigating individuals who commit crimes against children to ensure justice for the young victims and safety for others.”

“The sexual exploitation of children is wrong and will not be tolerated,” said Tatum King, deputy special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco. “Together with our law enforcement partners, Homeland Security Investigations will bring to justice anyone involved in such heinous acts.”

United States District Judge Troy Nunley sentenced Danny M. Shatswell Jr., 44, of Modesto, to 23 years and six months in prison for producing visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to court documents, Shatswell used a webcam to produce sexually explicit images of a minor. The minor victim reported to law enforcement that Shatswell was abusing her, and when Shatswell’s electronic devices were searched, sexually explicit images were found that Shatswell produced of his victim in 2010 and 2011.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Modesto Police Department, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s High Tech Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez prosecuted the case. (Docket # 2:12-cr-0271-TLN)

Judge Nunley also sentenced Jason B. Scarcello, 45, of Anderson, today to eight years and one month in prison for receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, between April and June 2012, Scarcello used a file-sharing program to download multiple movies depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Scarcello was arrested on July 25, 2012, after agents executed a federal search warrant at his residence and discovered CDs and DVDs containing sexually explicit images and videos of children. According to the search warrant affidavit, suspicions about Scarcello first arose after investigators determined that he had engaged in computer chats with a previously charged suspect in Kansas. From August 2010 through March 2012, Scarcello and the Kansas man discussed in computer chats the abuse of child victims.

This case was the product of an ongoing investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Morris prosecuted the case. (Docket # 2:12-cr-288 TLN)

The Scarcello case is part of an ongoing HSI-led investigation that originated in Boston. In 2010, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and HSI Boston arrested and convicted Robert Diduca on child pornography production charges. Forensic analysis of Diduca’s computer led investigators to the Netherlands where a Dutch national was arrested and charged with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87 minors. Since that time, a worldwide network of offenders has been, and continues to be, unraveled, including today’s defendant. Defendants and victims continue to be identified around the world. To date, more than 140 children have been rescued and 43 perpetrators arrested worldwide as a result.

These cases were 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.