Sacto 9-1-1
February 13, 2012
Sacramento man accused of distributing child pornography

A 65-year-old Sacramento man was arrested today on child pornography charges.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a one-count indictment Thursday charging Robert M. Schaefer with distribution of child pornography.

According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2009, Schaefer used the Internet to distribute images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He allegedly uploaded to various file-sharing websites thousands of images of children being exploited, including children younger than 10 years old. He also is accused of surfing the Internet looking for people seeking particular types of photos, which he then shared from his extensive collection.

The investigation into Schaefer's activities began after the German Federal Criminal Police discovered Schaefer's uploaded files and brought the case to the attention of United Sates law enforcement, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Schaefer was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman and pleaded not guilty. He was released on a $25,000 bond. Schaefer's next court appearance is scheduled for March 29 before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Sacramento FBI Cyber Crimes unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Innocent Images International Task Force. The task force brings together law enforcement officers from around the world to address online child exploitation.

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