San Rafael Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

San Francisco, CA - Robert Haeuser, a 33-year-old resident of San Rafael, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting and receiving child pornography from a young victim he groomed over the internet. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The Honorable Susan Illston, United States Senior District Judge, handed down the sentence.

Haeuser's guilty plea was entered on December 2, 2022. The investigation revealed that in 2015, he initiated communication with an 11-year-old victim through the chat feature of a mobile game called "Dynasty Wars." While Haeuser resided in Marin County, the victim lived with her parents in Houston. By November 2015, Haeuser was aware that the victim had not yet reached high school, and by October 2016, he acknowledged during an exchange that he would be in jail if their conversations were exposed to the world. Their communication eventually moved to email, where Haeuser repeatedly solicited sexually explicit images and videos from the victim, instructing her to engage in explicit conduct. Regrettably, the victim complied with Haeuser's demands, resulting in the exchange of a staggering number of emails and text messages between July 2015 and October 2017. In total, the victim sent Haeuser at least 29 images and 4 videos depicting herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

On May 3, 2022, Haeuser was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of receipt of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1). He subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston ordered Haeuser to serve ten years of supervised release, which will commence after his prison term. The date for Haeuser to begin his prison term has been set for August 25, 2023.

The prosecution of this case was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Yeh and Leif Dautch, with assistance from Mark DiCenzo. The investigation was conducted by the FBI.

Child exploitation and the solicitation of child pornography are serious crimes that inflict lasting harm on victims. The U.S. Attorney's Office and law enforcement agencies remain committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who engage in such heinous acts, ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities.

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