Antelope Valley man gets 21 years in baby porn case

An Antelope Valley man was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for making cellphone videos while he molested a 3-month-old relative, authorities said Tuesday.

Robert Dale Schrader, 34, of Littlerock, “repeatedly sexually abused” the infant, the United States district attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Schrader shared his videos online “with like-minded individuals and bragged to them about his exploits with children, sharing his photographic trophies with them in hopes of obtaining similar child pornography.”

Prosecutors declined to say how the victim was related to Schrader.

At a sentencing hearing Monday, Schrader told U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess that viewing child porn “created for him a link between children and sexual desire, ultimately leading him to molest children and produce child pornography,” according to prosecutors.

Federal authorities said they launched an investigation of Schrader earlier this year after he sent emails with explicit images of an infant to an undercover law enforcement officer in England.

He was investigated by a task force that included law enforcement authorities from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Los Angles Police Department.

Authorities said they discovered evidence during the investigation showing that Schrader allegedly molested at least two other victims, a 12-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy. He is facing charges filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in that case.

When he leaves prison, Schrader will be on lifetime supervised release, authorities said.

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