A Borrego Springs man, Robert Clonts, a sex offender, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. A customer allegedly uploaded around 147 images of the material, as found out through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), from an alert sent by an online service provider on May 25, 2023.
The FBI managed to track down Clonts as the uploader of the explicit material. In December 2023, with his crime exposed by the FBI, Clonts confessed to using both a cellular device and other media devices to obtain and view child pornography. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Clonts also affirmed that his email and phone number were used on the account responsible for the uploads.
Pleading guilty on August 13, 2024, Clonts admitted he possessed sexually explicit images of minors. His criminal history was dragged into the spotlight, revealing a 1990 conviction of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, necessitating his registration as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath expressed her resolution, "This defendant’s actions are a grave violation of both the law and human decency," and promised, "Those who put children in jeopardy will face the full force of justice." These comments were sourced from the U.S. Attorney's Office statement.
The sentencing handed down by the court aims to underscore the government's stance on the issue. FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy, declared, "This sentence should send a clear message that individuals who think they can get away with sexually exploiting children will be vehemently sought by law enforcement and ultimately brought to justice," as per the U.S. Department of Justice press release. The FBI and its law enforcement partners have voiced their intent to continue safeguarding all Americans, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable – the children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Sherwood is the prosecutor for this case, which falls under case number 24CR0048-H. The severity of Clonts' offense could have landed him up to twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release for life. However, Clonts will serve a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and post-release, he is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, based on court documents. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's diligent investigation brought the case to closure.
