MISSOULA - Robert White, 51, of Butte, was sentenced today in federal court to seven years in prison for distributing child pornography and possessing a firearm that was not registered to him in the national registry. He received seven years for each count, to run concurrent. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen also sentenced White to 10 years supervised release, $4,000 in restitution, and ordered him to forfeit his laptop computer and the firearm.
White’s crime was discovered when an agent with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found that White was writing sexually explicit phrases regarding prepubescent children within an Internet relay channels (IRC) and posting links to files of child pornography within IRC. The agent also determined White was utilizing a peer-to-peer (P2P) client to receive video and image files of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. White also distributed child pornography on more than a dozen occasions.
The agent determined the IP address for all of these distributions was assigned to White at his residence in Butte, Montana. Agents obtained a search warrant for White’s residence in Butte. Agents executed the warrant and White’s laptop was seized. The laptop was examined and a forensic examined located image and video files depicting child pornography and confirmed his previous distribution of child pornography.
In relation to the firearm crime, a 2014 investigation determined that White was also in possession of a 12 gauge shotgun with a length of approximately 19 inches and a barrel length approximately 13.5 inches. The firearm was illegal unless registered to him in the Nation Firearms Registration and Transfer record. White had not registered the firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson and investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
