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An effort by law enforcement to target child predators will result in lengthy prison sentences for several defendants who have admitted to enticing minors and engaging in child pornography.
Five defendants charged in federal exploitation cases face mandatory minimum sentences of five to 15 years for their various crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
The defendants were charged as part of Utah's Project Safe Childhood, which targets criminals who use technology to sexually exploit children. The initiative is a collaborative effort between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as prosecutors, said Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Among those sentenced this week is 37-year-old Christopher James Pratt, who admitted to possessing more than 600 images of children being sexually assaulted by adults. He used his Yahoo Messenger account to share the images with others online. U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart ordered Pratt to serve 15 years in prison for the crimes.
James Timothy Dickinson, 32, of West Jordan, pleaded guilty this week to coercion and enticement for illegal sexual activity. Dickinson admitted that he used Facebook to build a relationship with a 15-year-old Utah boy, and tried to get the child to engage in sex acts when arranging to meet with him on two occasions, according to court documents. Dickinson, who will be sentenced on June 27 before Judge Dee Benson, faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years in prison.
Another defendant awaiting sentencing is Brandon Florence, 32, of Layton. Florence recently pleaded guilty to downloading more than 600 images of children being raped by adults. He shared his files through a peer-to-peer file sharing program online and faces a mandatory minimum prison sentenced of five years when he appears before U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell on June 19.
Robert Leon McBride, 36, of Orem, faces 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 20 before Stewart. McBride admitted to taking sexually explicit photos of himself and a 14-year-old girl, according to court documents. Investigators also located other child pornography on his computer. He pleaded guilty this month to felony possession of child pornography.
A fifth defendant, Jeffrey David Pirente, 44, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography this month. He admitted to sending child pornography over his computer from a collection of more than 600 images, court documents state. Many of the photos showed children being raped by adults. He faces a mandatory minimum five-year prison term when he is sentenced on June 13 by Benson.
In yet another case, Antonio Cardenas, a 33-year-old Murray man, was also targeted as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Cardenas earlier this month pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He admitted to taking a child under 12 from Utah to Las Vegas, where he engaged in a sexual act. He also told investigators he sexually abused the victim in Utah and filmed the acts, according to court documents.
Cardenas faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years when he is sentenced in federal court on June 13 for the crimes.
U.S. Attorney for Utah David Barlow said he is pleased to see the cases reach resolutions that reflect the seriousness of the offenses.
"We place a high priority on prosecuting child exploitation cases and, unfortunately, we continue to have a steady stream of them referred to us for prosecution," Barlow said. "We recognize the committed law enforcement officers and agents around the state who are working these cases with us."
He said the cases are "graphic reminders of why we must continue to aggressively enforce the laws that protect children and pursue prosecutions where appropriate."
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