Missoula Child Pornographer Gets 30-Year Federal Prison Sentence

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - A 29-year-old Missoula man was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen in Federal Court to 30 years in prison after admitting to producing sexually explicit images of a child and also downloading sexually explicit images from the internet.

KGVO News spoke to Montana’s U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich on Friday morning about the case.

Missoula Man Gets 30 Years for Child Pornography

“This is a case that was generated from a task force that we participate in with our partners including the Missoula Police Department, the Internet Crimes Against Children or ICAC Task Force and their responsibility is just as what the title of the task force suggests, to find and hold accountable those who are engaging in criminal activity via the Internet,” began Laslovich.

Laslovich said the initial arrest came after tips were received about the defendant’s activities online.

Anonymous tips led to the Defendant's Arrest by Several Agencies

“In this instance with this defendant pursuant to that work on the ICAC Task Force and some tips that were received from anonymous people, it was determined that the defendant was downloading a significant amount of child pornography,” he said. “Because of the information, the task force got a warrant and then searched his residence and indeed found thousands of images of child pornography, including some really grotesque and unconscionable images of a prepubescent boy engaging in sexual acts.”

Laslovich said he was grateful for the long federal prison sentence handed down in the Missoula case.

“He was, of course, arrested and ultimately convicted and received a 30-year sentence,” he said. “I will tell you, Peter, in my time as the U.S. Attorney, which has been just a little over a year, it's the biggest sentence we've received. We asked for 40 years, which ultimately would have been a life sentence, but we're pleased with the 30-year sentence imposed by the court.”

Laslovich emphasized the absolute importance of the public’s help in identifying, prosecuting, and convicting child pornographers in Montana.

Laslovich says the Public's Assistance is Vital in Child Pornography Cases

“This is a community problem, of course,” he said. “We simply would not have been able to have held this defendant accountable without the anonymous tips of people who knew what he was engaged in doing. I won't get into the specifics, but clearly, there are people who knew the defendant and what he was doing, and then tipped off law enforcement. That is the number one thing people can do. They can contact law enforcement to give us an opportunity to investigate someone who is engaged in this kind of behavior.”

The defendant’s name has been withheld to protect the identities of any of his victims.

There is no parole in federal court, so the defendant will serve every day of his 30-year prison sentence.