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Press Release

Petersburg Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska-United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Tye Leif Petersen, 46, a resident of Petersburg, Alaska, pled guilty in federal court to distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.

According to the facts presented in court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, on July 29, 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Juneau received information from a related federal investigation in the Eastern District of Tennessee investigating the distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.  The investigation identified an email account belonging to defendant Tye Leif Petersen.  This email account contained six videos of child pornography.  The Internet Protocol (IP) address indicated that Petersen lived in Petersburg, Alaska, and had used this account to access child pornography.  Further investigation revealed that Petersen received and possessed 22 videos and 291 photos of child pornography from an individual in the Eastern District of Tennessee.  A search warrant was obtained for Petersen’s home where FBI agents recovered 11 CD-ROM’s, five thumb drives, three detached hard drives, and one Apple Desktop computer which all contained images of child pornography and contained an additional 37 videos of child pornography.  Petersen identified an additional email account that showed activity of Petersen’s distribution of child pornography.

Judge Timothy M. Burgess, who took Petersen’s plea, scheduled sentencing for November 11, 2014, at 11:00 a.m.  The law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years on the distribution and receipt charges, and each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

 Ms. Loeffler commends the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Petersen.

Updated February 9, 2015

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