CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Raymond Dugan, 55, of Logan, was sentenced today to four years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for accessing with the intent to view prepubescent child pornography. Dugan must also register as a sex offender.
A federal jury found Dugan guilty following a one-day trial. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on June 11, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Dugan’s residence. Officers obtained the search warrant for Dugan’s residence after tracing an Internet Protocol (IP) address that had been used to access a website on the dark web known to share child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
Officers seized several electronic devices during the search, including a laptop computer. An analysis by the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) revealed 1,237 images of child pornography on the laptop. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors subjected to sadistic and machoistic conduct or other depictions of violence.
“There can be no tolerance under the law for anyone who exploits or preys upon children," said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory Digital Forensics Unit (DFU). I also commend Assistant United States Attorneys Julie White and Nowles Heinrich and the trial team for the successful prosecution of this case."
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-127.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
