A Citrus Heights man has been convicted of receiving child pornography, a jury decided after a brief trial that lasted only one day. The convicted, Kyle Travis Colton, 37, was found guilty on Tuesday of one count of the charge announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez.
Law enforcement officials, upon searching Colton's home, were able to quickly recover materials from his laptop confirming the charges. According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, from between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton downloaded numerous images and videos showcasing the sexual abuse of children. The graphic content was not only saved on his computer desktop and downloads folder, but he also had especially user-created bookmarks to easily access known child pornography websites.
Assistant United States Attorneys Whitnee Goins and Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case, stemming from an investigation spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice," according to a statement on the Department of Justice's website.
U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd is set to sentence Colton on October 27. The convict is facing a maximum statutory penalty that could total up to 20 years in prison, a minimum mandatory sentence of five years, and could also be fined a quarter million dollars. However, the actual sentence will ultimately be at the discretion of the court, which will consider applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Since its inception, Project Safe Childhood has been dedicated to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, enabling federal, state, and local agencies to coordinate better in efforts to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit these heinous crimes and to identify and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found on their website, including resources for internet-safety education.
