A Placer County man has been sentenced to five years in prison for crimes related to child exploitation, including the distribution and receipt of child pornography. According to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith, Randy Anger, 57, of Carnelian Bay, was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution alongside $10,200 in special assessments. The judgment was handed down following evidence that Anger had used messaging apps to distribute and receive illicit material.
As per court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, in May 2021, Anger was actively engaged in distributing child sexual abuse material through the Kik Messenger app. These incidents put him in communication with Brent Hooton, who has been separately charged and given a significant 27 years in sentence for the production and distribution of child pornography. In a separate instance, in November of the same year, Anger was found to have received multiple images depicting child abuse through the Wickr app.
The investigation led to Anger's sentencing and was a collaborative effort involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow saw the case through the prosecution process. Anger's arrest and subsequent sentencing were parts of a broader initiative known as Project Safe Childhood—a program established by the Department of Justice in 2006. This project consolidates efforts across various levels of law enforcement to tackle the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit their official website. The Department of Justice offers internet-safety resources under the "resources" tab to help educate and prevent similar offenses.
