POCATELLO - Thomas Wayne Anderson, 57, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday to accessing with intent to view child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez announced. Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pocatello on Feb. 28, 2017.
According to the plea agreement, Anderson was initially apprehended in connection with a series of vandalism at recreational sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Pursuant to a search warrant, authorities searched Anderson’s laptop computer and found screen captures of child pornography that appeared to be from videos depicting child pornography. In court, Anderson admitted to using online video-conferencing services to view child pornography with other individuals.
The charge of access with intent to view child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to a life-term of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 20, 2017, before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
The case was investigated by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Bureau of Land Management.
This case was brought as 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 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
