Novato Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges

SAN FRANCISCO —A Novato man pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to child pornography charges.

Jonathan Hill, 30, of Novato, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White to one count of producing child pornography. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dismiss three other charges.

Hill admitted during the hearing he persuaded a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a child pornography video on his iPhone on March 17, 2010.

An FBI affidavit filed last year said Marin County sheriff's deputies who arrested Hill three days later determined that the video showed a 9-year-old girl exposing her chest and pulling down her pants and also depicted Hill exposing himself to the girl.

Hill is being sentenced by White on June 2. Under the plea bargain, prosecution and defense attorneys agreed on a sentence of 15 years in prison — the mandatory minimum under federal law for the child pornography production conviction.

If White decides a longer prison term is warranted, Hill would have the option of withdrawing the guilty plea and going to trial.

Defense attorney Douglas Horngrad said outside of court, "Mr. Hill and the government felt that his is a fair disposition."

Under the agreement, the sentence will be served concurrently with any sentence Hill may receive in a Marin County Superior Court case where he faces separate state charges of annoying or molesting children and indecent exposure.

Horngrad said the maximum penalty Hill could receive in that case, if convicted of all charges, would be six years and four months in prison.

Marin County district attorney representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on prosecution plans in that case.

Hill was arrested by sheriff's deputies on March 20, 2010, after another girl, who was 10 years old, reported that he had exposed himself to her near an elementary school in Marinwood.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said sheriff's deputies searching Hill's home found a large collection of child pornography, including a video that allegedly showed Hill exposing himself to another girl in 2005.

Hill was indicted by a U.S. grand jury on April 6, 2010, on four federal felony counts, including producing the 2010 video, producing the 2005 video and receiving and possessing child pornography.

During today's court session, he admitted to making the 2005 video but did not plead guilty to that charge. That count and the charges of receiving and possessing child pornography are being dismissed as part of the plea bargain.

Story by Bay City News Service.