Madera County Woman Pleads Guilty in Child Porn Case

A Madera County woman faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison after she pleaded guilty Friday to the sexual exploitation of children.

Ashley Maddox, 32, entered a guilty plea to one count of aiding and abetting the production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd in Fresno, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Shared Child Porn With a Florida Man

According to court documents, in June 2017, Maddox came to the attention of law enforcement during a child pornography investigation of a man in Florida. An examination of the Florida man’s electronic devices revealed that between November 2015 and April 2016, he and Maddox had communicated, via the internet and on their cellphones, about their mutual sexual interest in minors.

Maddox requested that he send her images and video recordings that depicted the Florida man sexually abusing a prepubescent minor victim. Maddox received from him over 20 images and videos. Maddox also created and sent to the man images and videos depicting a prepubescent minor.

Maddox Snared by Task Force

This case is the product of an investigation by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children task force, a federally and state-funded task force with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Central California ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking.

Homeland Security Investigations agents in Fresno and Fort Pierce, Florida, investigated this case. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office assisted early in the investigation. Nadia Prinz of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa of the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.

Sentencing Set for Aug. 26

Maddox is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 26. She faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

However, the sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and sentencing guidelines.