Spokane Man Sentenced For Child Pornography
Spokane, Washington Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Randall Maurice Peterson, age 37, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced after having previously plead guilty on March 9, 2016 to Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Peterson to a nine-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life-term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Peterson was ordered to forfeit to the United States the digital memory card that he used to download and store child pornography. Peterson will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, Peterson had a digital memory card (“SD card”) that he used to possess three videos and 34 photographs of a prepubescent child involved in various sexual acts.
Michael C. Ormsby stated, “The United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. Prosecuting offenders who possess child pornography is one of the top priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office.”
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.”
