Minot Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Charge

BISMARCK—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 13, 2011, Richard C. Trainor, 47, of Minot, North Dakota, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. Trainor pleaded guilty to the charge on March 21, 2011.

Judge Hovland sentenced Trainor to serve 11 years and three months in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Trainor was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Trainor must register as a sex offender.

Between July 2009 and August 2009, Trainor used the Internet to access and download images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Minot Police Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme prosecuted the case.