Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Child Porn Case
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Simi Valley man Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for placing ads on the Internet to obtain child pornography.
Ernest Gonzales, 57, was found guilty last year of publishing an online advertisement to receive, exchange and distribute child porn.
According to federal authorities, the case marks the first time federal prosecutors have used the statute about online advertising for pornography in Ventura or Los Angeles counties.
Gonzales was also convicted of four counts of transporting child porn. He previously pleaded guilty to possessing child porn.
U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeediev sentenced Gonzales to more than five years in prison for those offenses, but ordered that the sentence run concurrently with the 10-year term.
Gonzales was arrested a year ago, after German national police found his ad online. Investigators forwarded the information to the U.S. Customs Service, which found hundreds of child pornography items on Gonzales’ home computer.
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