Spokane - Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Kenneth Brown, age 31, of Ephrata, Washington, was sentenced today after having previously pled guilty on Sept. 3, 2015 to Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Brown to a five year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a fifteen year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Judge Rice ordered Brown to forfeit to the United States numerous digital items that he used to store and distribute child pornography and to pay $500 in restitution to one of the victims of his crime. Brown will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, Brown was using a Peer to Peer file sharing account to share and distribute child pornography images over the Internet. Undercover law enforcement agents located child pornography files Brown was making available for download and later obtained a federal search warrant for Browns’ residence. On March 11, 2014, Homeland Security Investigation agents, along with officers from the Ephrata Police Department, executed a federal search warrant at Browns’ residence and seized Browns’ digital devices that he used to store and distribute child pornography. A forensic examination of Browns’ personal computer revealed 1,298 child pornography images and numerous videos of child pornography.
Michael C. Ormsby stated, “I commend the Ephrata Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for their efforts in successfully investigating this case. Prosecuting offenders who distribute child pornography is one of the top priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office for in the Eastern District of Washington. This Office, together with its law enforcement partners, Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC") has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child
exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
This investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Ephrata Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
