- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Judge sentences Lakeport man to prison in child pornography case
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Monday afternoon a Lake County Superior Court judge sentenced a Lakeport man to state prison in a child pornography case.
Judge Shanda Harry sentenced Jeffery Scott Cramer, 60, to two years in state prison for felony possession of child pornography.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrested Cramer in May 2020 following an investigation that found he had used his social media accounts to upload child pornography on at least five occasions between August 2019 and February 2020.
Later in 2020, the District Attorney’s Office charged Cramer — then the owner of Main Street Bicycles, a business he has since sold — with felony possession of child pornography and bringing obscene materials that depict a minor in a sex act into the state.
In March of 2021, as part of an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office, Cramer entered a no contest plea to felony possession of child pornography. At that time, the second charge was dropped with a Harvey waiver, which allows that dismissed charge to still be considered for the purpose of sentencing.
In January, Cramer appeared before Judge Harry for sentencing. However, after having reviewed the case materials — including the photos and videos found in Cramer’s possession, most of which appeared to show children under age 12 — Harry rejected the plea agreement, which did not require prison time but instead gave him up to two years of probation, along with lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Harry said it was clear from her review that Cramer had not been engaged in a “passive exploration of pictures,” but had actually been using those images to create “tribute videos” in which Cramer filmed himself masturbating and then ejaculating on the images. Harry said he later uploaded those videos to porn sites, where they were distributed.
Following two additional continuations, during which it was reported that Cramer did not intend to withdraw from the plea agreement, the sentencing was back on Harry’s calendar on Monday.
During an afternoon hearing that lasted approximately 16 minutes, in which Cramer was present, Harry heard from Cramer’s attorney, Jane Gaskell of Santa Rosa who asked for a mitigated sentence.
It was reported on Monday that Cramer, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, had an MRI on March 22 which found that the disease has spread, requiring further testing and treatment into mid-May. It’s also anticipated that he will require surgery.
In explaining her reasons for seeking a mitigated sentence, Gaskell said Cramer has accepted responsibility for his actions. After seeing a therapist, Cramer wrote a letter to the court in which he said that he realized his internet porn usage was destructive not just to his family but to others.
“I realize that this is not a victimless crime, even though they are not known by name,” his letter said, as read by Gaskell.
Gaskell said Cramer’s therapist has reported that he is making progress and that he is utilizing psychotherapy effectively.
“I want the court to be reminded of that,” said Gaskell. “Mr. Cramer has stayed on that therapeutic path.”
She said the probation report concluded that Cramer was a suitable candidate for probation. Given that he had not pursued legal remedies that Gaskell said she made clear to him were available, she said she believed a mitigated sentence would be appropriate.
District Attorney Susan Krones said that in the same letter Gaskell quoted, Cramer talked about “slipping down a rabbit hole.”
“No matter what he said after that, he downplays the start of what he did when he was first starting to continue to review and watch child pornography,” Krones said, noting that’s the part of his letter to the court that is so concerning.
She said she doesn’t believe his use of child pornography happened accidentally. “He continued to seek it out.”
Krones said that in Cramer’s case, she believed the midterm offered in the probation report — for two years in state prison — was appropriate, adding that the mitigating term would not be appropriate because of the amount of child pornography involved.
In an interview earlier this year, Krones told Lake County News that Cramer had thousands of files — both videos and images — in his possession.
Harry noted that in an earlier hearing, she also had questioned the veracity of Cramer’s assertion about going down a rabbit hole, noting that looking for such images was not like getting off course while doing internet shopping.
She said she took his mental health treatment into consideration. “Once caught he has tried to improve himself.”
Harry then moved forward with passing sentence, noting she was not granting probation and that the mitigating factors were outweighed by the aggravating factors.
She gave Cramer the midterm of two years in state prison, with restitution fines totaling nearly $1,300. Cramer also gets one day of credit toward his prison sentence.
Understanding the ongoing issue with prostate cancer, Harry did not order Cramer remanded into custody. Rather, she set a date of July 27 for him to turn himself in at the Lake County Jail; from there he will be transferred to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Harry told Cramer and Gaskell that if, due to his treatment, that turn-in date needs to be moved, that she would be open to doing so.
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