Springfield Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

EUGENE, OR—On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken sentenced Kenneth Nin Chin, 53, of Springfield, Oregon, to a prison term of 10 years and one month for distributing child pornography. Following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, a search warrant was executed at Chin’s residence. On Chin’s computer, agents discovered thousands of images depicting child exploitation, including the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and it was determined that Chin was also involved in distributing these images online to others. In addition, Chin engaged in online chats in which he wrote about his desire to engage in sexual activity with minor boys.

“Images of child exploitation cause tremendous harm to the victims—not just by the horrible abuse involved in creating the images but in the perpetuation of the abuse every time these images are shared,” stated U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “Those involved in possessing and distributing these horrific images help fuel the market for such depravity, and my office is committed to doing everything we can to put a stop to it.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Sweet.