Shasta Lea Schnittker, 42, of Montague, was sentenced on August 26 by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to eight years and one month in prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on February 22, 2022, Schnittker possessed 1,142 images and 110 videos of child sexual abuse material on her computer. The material included depictions of minors and toddlers involved in sexually explicit conduct and sadistic and masochistic abuse. Law enforcement also found a video depicting Schnittker holding up a flash drive and stating, “This is where I keep all my CP.” In the self-recorded video, she then used the flash drive to play a video of child pornography.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily G. Sauvageau and Denise Yasinow prosecuted the case.
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 while identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
