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Lodi man convicted in child pornography case faces 10-year minimum

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A Lodi man convicted by a federal jury in Newark today of child pornography charges is going to prison for at least 10 years.

Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot File Photo

Martin Villalobos, 41, was found guilty of two counts of distribution of child pornography, two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following a one-week trial.

U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler set sentencing for April 11. Sentences range from five to 20 years in federal prison — with a mandatory 10 years on the possession count. Unlike state sentences, federal terms must be served out. Any time off is measured in days and weeks, not months or years.

Villalobos was arrested by special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations after the discovered him sharing the images online, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

After obtaining a search warrant, they said, they found him in a locked bedroom with eight computer hard drives, more than 100 DVDs and other electronic media — which included more than 5,000 photographs and more than 150 videos of minors and prepubescent minors, nude and/or engaged in sexual acts with one another and with adults.

“Other evidence found in Villalobos’s possession showed that he routinely used the internet to solicit, receive and distribute child pornography,” Fishman said.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph B. Shumofsky and Nicholas P. Grippo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark represented the government in the trial.

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