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Date: 08-19-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 2:19-cr-00515-VAP
Judge: Virginia A. Phillips
Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Los Angeles, California criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with possession of child pornography.
James Davolt, 53, of Templeton, a San Luis Obispo County resident was charged with possession of child pornography and mages depicting the sexual abuse of very young victims.
Davolt admitted that he used email to receive and share child pornography. When special agents with the FBI examined his computers and email accounts, they uncovered approximately 738 images and 204 videos depicting child pornography, including videos involving the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.
In seeking a 15-year sentence, prosecutors argued that some of images depicted children under the age of 2 being used for sexual acts, and other images portrayed sadistic or masochistic sexual conduct involving children.
In addition to the images and videos, FBI agents discover chat messages, some dating back to 2009, in which Davolt chatted with women in the Philippines and not only “explicitly requested child pornography videos, but also directed the sexual exploitation of children via webcam,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors. “Even more troubling, [Davolt] bragged about how he previously had sex with children while visiting the Philippines (which defendant, in fact, traveled to on 12-13 occasions) and made plans to have sex with children in an upcoming visit.”
In a victim impact statement submitted to the court and excerpted in the sentencing memorandum, the mother of one victim said her daughter suffered from “prolonged major trauma” that will affect “her mind for the rest of her life.”
The FBI conducted the investigation in this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Amy E. Pomerantz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted the case.
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by supervised release for the rest of his life.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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