October 18, 2026 – RENO, NV – A Reno resident has been arrested and made his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday for allegedly distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay

“There is absolutely no room for leniency when it comes to the exploitation of children,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Our office, alongside our law enforcement partners, will use every aggressive legal avenue available to dismantle this destructive cycle and ensure that predators face the maximum severity of federal law.”

“Not only did Mr. Stockinger exploit these children, he further victimized them by distributing vile images of their abuse to other predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “His arrest marks the first step toward ensuring he is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes. The FBI will continue to deploy every available resource through our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force to investigate, pursue, and bring to justice the dangerous predators who target our most vulnerable.”

According to allegations in the indictment, beginning about June 5, 2026, to about June 30, 2026, Zachary Steven Stockinger distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material of children younger than 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

Stockinger is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. A trial has been scheduled for December 15, 2026, before United States District Judge Miranda M. Du. If convicted, Stockinger faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: DOJ Release