Merced County Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Pornography Charges

Merced County Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Pornography Charges

A Merced County man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison for receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material, authorities said. Joel Damian Ortega, 36, of Merced, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Ortega used a Samsung Galaxy smartphone between Jan. 26, 2024, and July 7, 2024, to receive and distribute at least one visual depiction of a …

Kemper County man arrested on 20 child pornography charges

KEMPER COUNTY – A Kemper County man was arrested Thursday after a joint investigation by the Kemper County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI into the alleged download of child pornography from the dark web. According to the Kemper County Sheriff’s Office, investigators and federal agents spent several weeks investigating an individual identified through intelligence sources as allegedly downloading large amounts of child pornographic material. Offici…