SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Wayne Lee Hauzer, 57, of Tracy, charging him with distribution and possession of child pornography and being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Hauzer used the Kik messaging application to communicate with an undercover FBI agent whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, and sent the undercover agent a video of child pornography. Hauzer also possessed additional images of child pornography. In addition, Hauzer possessed 35 rounds of 9 mm caliber ammunition in a closet near a firearm without a serial number, which is known as a “ghost gun.” Hauzer is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition after having been convicted of felonies, including the enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) with assistance from the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Hauzer faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and potentially a lifetime of supervised release. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.