WCDA Sentencing Result in Child Pornography Prosecution

Sentencing in Northern Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Case Involving Child Pornography Offense

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has announced that James Nicolas Cannel, age 62 from Reno has been sentenced on a charge of child pornography to a maximum term of 6 years in prison, with parole eligibility set by the court to begin after 2 years has been served. Cannel pled guilty in Washoe County District Court last November to one count of Possession of Visual Presentation Depiction Sexual Conduct of a Person Under Sixteen Years of Age.

This investigation began in may 2020 when the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) received a tip from the National Center for Mission and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about online activity involving the digital transfer of files containing suspected child pornography. WCSO detectives, along with detectives with the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit  and the Internet Crimes Against Children – Child Exploitation Task Force identified Cannel as a suspect and he was ultimately arrested. The investigation also determined that Cannel was a registered sex offender, having previously been convicted on Federal charges of possession of child pornography. Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, Deputy District Attorney Robert Delong filed formal criminal charges against Cannel and the case proceeded to sentencing.

At sentencing Deputy District Attorney Amanda Sage argued for a 28-72 month sentence in the Nevada Department of Corrections, and counsel for the Defendant asked for the minimum sentence of 12-30 months. The Court ultimately sentenced the Defendant to 28-72 months in prison.

This office works closely with the Northern Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit on cases involving the exploitation of children. These units are comprised of detectives from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Police Department, Reno Police Department, Nevada Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation.