SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An Orangevale resident was arrested today after a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment on Thursday charging him with distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography and obstruction of justice, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Dennis Boyle, 52, was arraigned today and pleaded not guilty. He is in custody, and a detention hearing has been scheduled for March 10, 2016.
According to court documents, law enforcement agents identified a user on a messenger service who was offering videos of child pornography in an online chat room. The investigation led to the residence of Boyle. Between August and October of 2015, Boyle allegedly distributed and received depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Boyle is alleged to have obstructed justice when he attempted to persuade a friend to delete electronic evidence stored on a laptop computer and on remote servers.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special Assistant United States Attorney Josh F. Sigal is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Boyle faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison 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.