Raymond James Cornett, a 53-year-old Sacramento man, has entered a guilty plea to charges of sexual exploitation of minors, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Court documents reveal that Cornett solicited and received sexually explicit material of two young children, aged six and seven, from a woman in Canada. The gravity of this crime is reflected in the potential maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine that Cornett faces.
The investigation, which led to Cornett's guilty plea, was undertaken by the Sacramento Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In an investigation led by several government branches, the woman from Canada who supplied Cornett with the images has been prosecuted by Canadian authorities. This case marks yet another step in the ongoing battle against child exploitation.
Assistant United States Attorney Roger Yang is tasked with the prosecution of this case, which stems from a nationwide effort to address child abuse and exploitation. As a part of Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006, this program aligns federal, state, and local agencies in the pursuit to end this heinous epidemic and bring justice for the victims. According to the official announcement, Cornett's sentencing is scheduled for December 8, 2025, before U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb.
The actual sentence of Cornett will be determined at the court's discretion after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which considers a number of variables. Over the course of its existence, Project Safe Childhood has propelled the cooperation among various levels of law enforcement to locate those guilty of exploiting children and initiate the healing process for those rescued from such tragedies. For more details on Project Safe Childhood, the public is urged to visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “resources” tab for information on internet safety education, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
