Fresno man guilty of having child porn. Some depicted ‘sadistic or masochistic conduct’

A Fresno man pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to charges that he received and distributed child pornography, some of which depicted “sadistic or masochistic conduct.”

According to court documents, 21-year-old Tanner Joel Hernandez-Fields received between 150 and 300 images and video files on his iPhone between March and April of 2019. Those imagines contained depictions of pre‑pubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the material met the definition of “sadistic or masochistic conduct,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office 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.

Hernandez-Fields is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 22.

He faces five to 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said.