A Pinal County man, James Stacey Porter, was sentenced on April 13 to 129 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography between 2016 and 2017. The sentencing took place in Phoenix before U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi, following Porter's guilty plea on October 10, 2025.
This case highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address the distribution of illegal materials that cause harm to children. U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said, “Child Sexual Abuse Material causes significant emotional distress to the children depicted in the images and videos. Every offender in a file sharing network, like BitTorrent used in this case, is able to grow his collection exponentially with a click of the button at the expense of the minors depicted. We are committed to focusing on not only the producers, but on those who participate in distributing and receiving such illegal materials and bring them to justice.”
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day also commented on the case: “The actions perpetrated by this defendant are reprehensible and will not be tolerated. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain resolute in keeping children in our communities safe, and those who prey on children will be pursued, investigated, and held accountable – no matter how long it takes.” According to court documents, Porter was detected using BitTorrent during an FBI investigation from 2016 through 2017; agents connected with his computer online and received files he was sharing that contained child pornography. Porter admitted he had searched for such material for several years.
Porter’s federal sentence follows a separate conviction from August 2024 in Pinal County Superior Court for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor related to another case where he received a ten-year prison term.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative launched nationally in May 2006—to combat child sexual exploitation online by coordinating resources among federal, state, local, tribal agencies as well as identifying victims.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona advances community wellness through outreach programs and victim advocacy according to its official website. It is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website and consists of about 180 assistant attorneys along with approximately 160 support staff members according to its official website. The office handles federal prosecutions throughout Arizona—including cases involving coordination across tribal lands—and works closely with various law enforcement agencies according to its official website.
