Anchorage Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possession of Child Pornography

ANCHORAGE – Stuart Ravn, 33, of Anchorage was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of more than 5,744 unique images and videos of child pornography on his computer.

>In issuing the sentence, U.S. Chief District Judge Timothy M. Burgess noted that the possession of these images perpetually victimizes the children who must live knowing that depictions of their own abuse are being distributed and possessed for the sexual gratification of pedophiles. He said: “It isn’t a momentary crime. It is a crime and violation that goes on for the rest of the victims’ lives. Not a day goes by that they are not impacted.”

Ravn was previously convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography in 2014 by the State of Alaska. While on probation for that conviction, Ravn used a computer to access, possess and view video and photographs of minors under the age of 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct. During a routine home visit, State of Alaska probation officers seized a laptop, thumb drive and external hard drive. After obtaining a search warrant, the Anchorage Police Department found thousands of child pornography images Ravn had downloaded from the internet.

Following his release from federal prison, Ravn will face a life term of supervised release. Ravn was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the identified victims and $5,000 to a crime victims fund established by the Justice for Crimes of Trafficking Act of 2015.

The Anchorage Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State of Alaska Department of Corrections, Anchorage Adult Probations conducted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander.

 This case is/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, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.

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