A Rocklin man who volunteered with a program that assists children in the court system has been sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography.
Donald G. Callahan, 63, was sentenced in Sacramento by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to eight years and one month in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. The judge also imposed a $15,000 fine.
According to court documents, in September 2011, law enforcement officers identified a computer at Callahan's home offering child pornography through an Internet file-sharing service. On Oct. 25, 2011, agents searched Callahan's home and seized his computer and several compact discs.
The computer contained approximately 898 image files and 536 video files showing the sexual exploitation of children. An additional 16 video files were on the compact discs. Officials said the collection included files showing molestation of infants and toddlers.
At the sentencing, the judge expressed concern that Callahan, given the crime to which he pleaded and his own history as a victim of sexual abuse, had been involved in the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, according to the news release. CASA volunteers work on behalf of children who are in the California court system, often as the result of being victims in child abuse and neglect cases.
The case resulted from an investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department with agents from federal, state and local agencies. The task force investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement and sex trafficking.
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