May 20, 2024 - FRESNO, Calif. — On April 25, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Boyce Isaiah Cervantez, 27, of Dinuba, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following his arrest on Friday, May 17.

According to court documents, between March 1, 2024, and March 16, 2024, Cervantez received at least one visual depiction of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dinuba Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Cervantez faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Source: DOJ Release