FRESNO, Calif. - Christopher Patterson, 43, of Bakersfield, was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between July 2018 and November 2018, Patterson used an SD card to knowingly receive more than 600 files containing visual depictions of children, some under the age of twelve, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter 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.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the "resources" tab for information about internet-safety education.