James Gregory O’Neill, Possessing Child Pornography, California 2016

LOS ANGELES — A Riverside man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing about 100 images depicting child pornography, including sexually explicit pictures of pre-pubescent girls under the age of 12.

James Gregory O’Neill, 58, was sentenced Monday afternoon by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner.

O’Neill pleaded guilty in January to possessing child pornography on his mobile phone in the spring of 2015. When authorities discovered the pictures of O’Neill’s phone, he was on parole after being convicted in Riverside Superior Court of possessing matter depicting a minor in a sexual act, a crime that led to a two-year sentence. O’Neill had also been convicted in federal court in 2003 of distributing child pornography, a conviction that brought a 40-month prison sentence.

"Mr. O’Neill has now been convicted three separate times of serious felony offenses related to child pornography," said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. "Even after his prior convictions, he was not deterred from continuing to engage in crimes that victimize children. Because of his repeated failure to behave lawfully, Mr. O’Neill earned the decade-long sentence imposed by the Court."

The case against O’Neill was investigated by the Riverside Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

"Every time a sexually explicit image or video of a minor is downloaded and viewed, the child who’s shown is victimized again," said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge of HSI Los Angeles. "That’s why HSI, in close collaboration with its law enforcement partners and prosecutors, is using every resource and tool at its disposal not only to target those involved in online child sexual exploitation, but also to identify and rescue the children who’ve fallen prey to these predators."

O’Neill is one of a half-dozen men from the Inland Empire who currently face federal charges related to child pornography.

Mandatory facts: Defendant/Respondent Name – James Gregory O’Neill, Exact Criminal Charges – Possessing child pornography, City and State – Los Angeles, California, Exact Date – Monday, 2016, Sentence or Outcome – 10 years in federal prison.

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