Winters Man Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison For Child Pornography Offense

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Rea, 26, of Winters, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John A. Mendez to 13 years and one month in prison for receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Rea is a registered sex offender with a history of repeatedly failing to update his registration information. In September 2013, Rea was on probation for a prior conviction for failing to register as required by California’s sex offender registration laws. Agents of the Sacramento Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Taskforce and the Federal Bureau of Investigation found Rea living with a child at a location where he was not registered to live. A search of his belongings found a DVD containing six movies of children being sexually abused. Rea has been in custody since his arrest.

The SAFE Team is a multi-jurisdictional task force created with grant funding from the California State Office of Emergency Services. The SAFE Task Force is composed of members from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Police Department, the Sacramento County Probation Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service, and receives support from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris prosecuted the case.

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 United States 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.justice.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety.

Docket #: 2:13-cr-397 JAM