Former Fresno church staffer sentenced for distribution of child pornography

Editor’s note: This story has been updated based on new information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A former Fresno church staffer was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Forrest Awbrey, 29, a former employee at First Church of God, faced felony charges after he tried to take photos “up the skirts” of young girls while he led biblical puppet shows, according to a criminal complaint.

According to U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, Awbrey was detected by investigators when he was sharing numerous child pornography files on a BitTorrent file-sharing network from August 2016 through November 2016.

Awbrey admitted to investigators he had used file‑sharing programs for several years to obtain child pornography. He also admitted of attempting to make video recordings of females using bathrooms in his home and at his church and that he had unsuccessfully attempted to take photos of young girls by holding a camera underneath their skirts.

The FBI found no videos or photos of people at the church on First Street north of Dakota Avenue, but found videos of people using the bathroom in Awbrey’s home, which he said he used a pen camera to capture.

Awbrey’s sentence includes a lifetime term of supervised release, restricting his access to minors, computers and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

A hearing has been scheduled for March 13, 2020, to address restitution to victims.

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 6:48 PM.