A Canyon Country man was sentenced Monday to over six years in prison for distribution of child pornography, officials said. 

Justin Schobey, 19 at the time of arrest, was sentenced to 80 months in prison and a $5,000 special assessment fee, according to Ciaran McEvoy, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Schobey was also sentenced to lifetime supervision upon release, according to McEvoy. 

The suspect allegedly used text messages to coerce a boy in another state to produce child pornography, according to officials.

The Canyon Country man was arrested as part of an operation conducted by a task force with the FBI and Homeland Security aimed at combating child pornography.

The operation, which netted eight arrests, was part of Project Safe Childhood, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

See Related: Canyon Country Man Pleads Guilty To Distribution Of Child Pornography

Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The internet has dramatically increased the availability of child pornography, and digital equipment has made it relatively easy to create, distribute and collect these images, according to federal prosecutors.

Underlying each case in which an individual uses technology, there is a young victim who was abused, molested or coerced to engage in sexual activity, officials said.

“These cases involve acts of depravity against vulnerable young people, many of whom will continue to be victimized as photos documenting their abuse spread across the internet,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna.

The “perceived anonymity” of the internet cannot shield child predators, according to Hanna. 

“Whether they create new images or collect videos, they can and will be caught,” he said.

Schobey is expected to be back in court for a restitution hearing on Nov. 25.

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