* Jonathan Hill and Arthur Abraham pleaded guilty in San Francisco to child pornography charges
Published by Staff Writer on March 10, 2011
In two separate cases, two men from Novato and Oakland pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to child pornography charges.Jonathan Hill, 30, of Novato, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White to one count of producing child pornography. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors will dismiss three other charges.
Hill admitted during the hearing that he persuaded a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a child pornography video on his iPhone on March 17, 2010.An FBI affidavit filed last year said that Marin County sheriff’s deputies who arrested Hill three days later determined that the video showed a 9-year-old girl exposing her chest and pulling down her pants and also depicted Hill exposing himself to the girl.
Hill will be sentenced by White on June 2. Under the plea bargain, prosecution and defense attorneys agreed on a sentence of 15 years in prison the mandatory minimum under federal law for the child pornography production conviction.If White decides that a longer prison term is warranted, Hill would have the option of withdrawing the guilty plea and going to trial.Defense attorney Douglas Horngrad said outside of court, “Mr. Hill and the government felt that his is a fair disposition.
“Under the agreement, the sentence will be served concurrently with any sentence Hill may receive in a Marin County Superior Court case in which he faces separate state charges of annoying or molesting children and indecent exposure. Horngrad said the maximum penalty Hill could receive in that case, if convicted of all charges, would be six years and four months in prison.Marin County district attorney representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on prosecution plans in that case.
Hill was arrested by sheriff’s deputies on March 20, 2010, after another girl, who was 10 years old, reported that he had exposed himself to her near an elementary school in Marinwood.U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said sheriff’s deputies searching Hill’s home found a large collection of child pornography, including a video that allegedly showed Hill exposing himself to another girl in 2005, and an alleged “rape kit” containing items such as duct tape and condoms.
Hill was indicted by a U.S. grand jury on April 6, 2010, on four federal felony counts, including producing the 2010 video, producing the 2005 video and receiving and possessing child pornography.During today’s court session, he admitted to making the 2005 video but did not plead guilty to that charge. That count and the charges of receiving and possessing child pornography will be dismissed as part of the plea bargain.In a second case also before White, Arthur Abraham, 67, of Oakland, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
He will be sentenced by White on June 16 and faces a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison.Haag said Abraham came to the attention of San Rafael police last year when he answered an Internet ad posted by an undercover officer. The U.S. attorney said Abraham showed up at a local hotel expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl.Haag said Abraham admitted during the plea to possessing more than 600 child pornography images.
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