During the summer of 2022, a 15-year federal sentence was handed down to an Airman found guilty of producing child pornography, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release.
According to court documents, the airman, while stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California, engaged in online communication with a minor and persuaded the minor to send explicit content to him.
The minor’s mother reached out to authorities after discovering the minor communicated with the online predator, stated the DOJ release.
The airman was sentenced 180 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, officials said.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
OSI was the lead investigative agency and provided critical evidence leading to the prosecution of the case, said Special Agent Kevin Dean, OSI Detachment 218 commander.
“The Special Agents at The Office of Special Investigations Detachment 218 displayed exemplary professionalism in this case, as is evident from the outcome,” SA Dean said. “Crimes against children are never easy for our agents to investigate, but providing justice to the individuals involved is something we take pride in.”
Editor’s Note: This article is the 12th installment in the OSI Public Affairs “Justice For All” Series; a collection of recent court martial cases highlighting the tireless efforts of OSI Special Agents, as they fulfill their mission to defend the nation, protect the integrity of the Department of the Air Force, find the truth, and serve justice for all.