Timothy Brian Grayson, 58, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to four years and 9 months in prison for possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, between September and October 2013, Grayson possessed on a laptop computer and hard drive at least 300 image files with visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Rabenn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Plante 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.