Sacramento, California - Dean Lynn Christiansen, 70, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for receiving child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. also ordered Christiansen to pay a $17,500 fine.

According to court documents, between October 14, 2010 and October 17, 2012, Christiansen used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to search for and collect more than 790 files containing pictures and videos that depicted the sexual exploitation of children. A search warrant executed at Christiansen’s home revealed that, at various times, many of those images and videos were made available to others over the internet. The images and videos Christiansen possessed involved the portrayal of sadistic, masochistic, and other depictions of violence, and included depictions of prepubescent minors under 12 years old. On September 24, 2015, Christiansen pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney André M. Espinosa prosecuted the case.

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.