Darke County Man Convicted of Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography Sentenced to 14 Years

Richard Trepanier, 40, of Gettysburg, Ohio, was sentenced to 168 months in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography in a case that began with an undercover investigation by Australian law enforcement.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Kevin R. Cornelius, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

Following a six-day trial, a jury convicted Trepanier on April 16, 2013, of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Trepanier, using the name “Wingman66,” contacted an Australian Federal Police undercover officer patrolling the Internet in February 2008 and offered him images of child pornography. The Australian authorities tracked the user name to Trepanier and sent the information to the FBI’s office in Cincinnati.

FBI agents interviewed Trepanier who consented to a search of his computer by the Miami Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Their analysis identified approximately 56 images of child pornography and evidence that Trepanier was trading child pornography.

“This case demonstrates the international cooperation that is necessary to protect children from exploitation,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said.

“These series [of images] were created not only within the United States [Washington, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia], but they were also created abroad [France, England, Denmark, Germany, Paraguay, and Belgium],” Dayton Branch Chief Laura Clemmens and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy wrote in a memorandum filed with the court prior to sentencing. “This simple fact highlights the heartbreaking reality of the child pornography industry: it knows no borders.”

Trepanier was also sentenced to serve 10 years under court supervision after completing his prison sentence. While under court supervision, he must register as a sex offender anywhere he lives, works, or goes to school.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the agencies involved, as well as Clemmens and Muncy, who prosecuted the case.