San Bernardino County man who recorded child pornography on his social media accounts sentenced to 25 years following ICE investigation

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – An Inland Empire man was sentenced this afternoon to 300 months in federal prison for producing dozens of sexually explicit images and videos of children, including videos that were recorded on his Snapchat and Facebook social media accounts.

Chaunta A. Bashir, a.k.a. “taytheonly,” 27, of Chino, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal. Bashir pleaded guilty on July 15 to one count of production of child pornography following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles.

From June 2015 to Oct. 2018, Bashir produced multiple images of child pornography. Specifically, in Oct. and Nov. 2017, he took sexually explicit images and videos of a 3- year-old victim, including of himself sexually abusing the child.

In the spring and summer of 2018, Bashir produced additional sexually explicit images and videos of children ranging in age from 4 to 14-years-old and recorded some of those videos on his Facebook and Snapchat social media accounts.

During a search of Bashir’s home in Oct. 2018, HSI special agents recovered more than 600 images and videos from his electronic devices that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California’s Riverside Branch Office. The Chino Police Department provided assistance in this investigation.