Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Anthony Ryan Jacobs, age 36, of Pasco, Washington, was sentenced today, after having previously pled guilty on October 1, 2015 to Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Court Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Brown to a five year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a ten year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, the Judge ordered Jacobs to forfeit to the United States numerous digital items that he used to store and distribute child pornography. Jacobs is now required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, Jacobs was using a Peer to Peer file sharing account to share and distribute child pornography images over the Internet. Undercover law enforcement agents located child pornography files Jacobs was making available for download and later obtained a federal search warrant for Jacobs’ residence. On March 12, 2014, United States Secret Service Agents executed a federal search warrant at Jacobs’ residence and seized Jacobs’ digital devices that he used to store and distribute child pornography. A forensic examination of Jacobs’ personal computer revealed child pornography images and videos of child pornography.
Michael C. Ormsby said, “Prosecuting offenders who are distributing child pornography is a priority for the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington. This Office, together with its Federal and state law enforcement partners, is and will continue to be committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes.”
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."
This investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.