SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Christopher Lee, 64, of Auburn, charging him with the production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Lee used a webcam to produce child pornography and share the video with an individual who lived in England.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee S. Bickley is prosecuting the case.
Lee has remained in custody since his arrest on February 6, 2017.
If convicted, Lee faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison for each count and a $250,000 fine. 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 U.S. 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.