March 21, 2022 - John Perry, 64, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in February 2020, Perry received child pornography onto a cellphone. He has a previous conviction for rape of a child in the first degree in Washington state.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Brian W. Enos are prosecuting the case.

Perry is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on June 27, 2022. Perry faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $$250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: DOJ Release