Chula Vista Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Receiving Child Pornography

Thanh Do was sentenced today in federal court in San Diego by United States District Court Judge Thomas J. Whelan to serve 168 months in custody and 15 years of supervised release based on Do’s conviction for receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), announced United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt. Judge Whelan also required Do to register as a sex offender. Do entered his guilty plea on March 10, 2008.

In sentencing Do, Judge Whelan took into consideration Do’s production of child pornography. Do produced child pornography by recording, via webcam, minors he chatted with online and convinced them to engage in sexually explicit conduct. According to the court records, Do admitted that on or about June 30, 2006, he knowingly received images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including a file name that was of a known series of child pornography. At the time of his arrest, Do was a computer science college student.

This case stems from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted by the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, whose members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the Chula Vista Police Department, the United States Attorney’s Office, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service, the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the El Cajon Police Department.

This case is being brought as part of the Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood (PSC) and the FBI's Innocent Images National Initiative (IINI). Both are nationwide initiatives designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. For more information about PSC, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov., and for additional information on IINI, please visit www.fbi.gov.

DEFENDANT Case Number: 07cr2459-W
THANH DO Age: 25
Chula Vista, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2) (Receipt of Child Pornography)

AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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