Former San Jose Police Department employee sentenced to 5 years in prison for possession of child pornography

Former San Jose Police Department employee Denis Shevchenko was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila to five years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. He has to pay $47,000 in restitution to the victims. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office of Northern California released details today.

"Shevchenko, 45, of Gilroy, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 30, 2022.  On May 30, 2024, a federal grand jury charged Shevchenko in a superseding indictment.  On October 17, 2025, following a bench trial, Judge Davila found Shevchenko guilty of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shevchenko was employed as a community service officer (CSO) with the San Jose Police Department (SJPD).  Prior to serving as a CSO, Shevchenko worked as a police officer for SJPD and the Pinole Police Department.  Court documents showed that the investigation into Shevchenko began when law enforcement discovered he had posted violent messages on the internet advocating for “shooting” police officers and “culling” people who did not share his beliefs.

On October 14, 2021, SJPD officers executed a search warrant at Shevchenko’s residence and seized electronic devices, which were found to contain numerous videos and thousands of images of child pornography.  The images depicted minors, including babies and toddlers, engaged in sexually explicit conduct with adults.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Davila also sentenced the defendant to a 5-year period of supervised release and ordered him to pay $47,000 in restitution to the victims.  The defendant will begin serving the sentence on October 29, 2026.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur, Sarah Slattery, and Laurie Worthen.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and SJPD."