BISMARCK- U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Jan. 30, 2014, Steven J. Paul, 59, Bismarck, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. Paul pleaded guilty to the charge on Oct. 23, 2013.
Judge Hovland sentenced Paul to serve 15 years in federal prison, the mandatory minimum sentence, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Paul was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
Paul was previously convicted for possession of child pornography and was on probation with the state of North Dakota. In December 2012 Paul was interviewed by probation officers to determine his compliance with his probation conditions. Paul admitted to accessing the Internet to download child pornography.
This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This investigation was conducted by the North Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and was a cooperative effort of Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the North Dakota Parole & Probation Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
