Franklin man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for charges involving child pornography

Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that Gary Ryan Dismore, 42, of Franklin, Ind., was sentenced in federal court, by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker, to 15 years’ in federal prison, after having previously pleaded guilty to charges of advertising, distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

“Individuals who choose to sexually exploit and prey on innocent children will be prosecuted to the full extent under federal law,” said Minkler. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to safeguarding children against child predators, like Dismore.”

In Nov. of 2017, the Indiana State Police received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning alleged illegal activities of an unidentified subject. According to the Cyber Tip, a user uploaded 157 videos to a Drobox account. The files uploaded to the Dropbox account contained videos of child pornography. In response to a search warrant executed by law enforcement, Dropbox provided a USB Drive, which contained child pornography files. The email address associated with the Dropbox account was later linked to Dismore.

On July 23, 2018, a search warrant was executed at the Franklin residence of Dismore. During the search, officers seized a Samsung cell phone, three USB thumb drives, three laptops, and an iPod. Dismore admitted that the devices were used solely by him. During a forensic examination of the digital media devices, officers discovered digital files depicting children under the age of 12, in addition to images of children over the age of 12, but under 18, that constitute child pornography. Forensic examiners noted there were two videos and 100 pictures of child pornography including images of toddlers on the Memorex 2GB Thumb Drive. Forensic examiners noted approximately 200 images of child pornography, including images or videos depicting acts of bondage and victims as young as toddler age on the PNY Attaché 512 MB Thumb Drive. Forensic examiners noted that there were approximately 30 child pornography videos located on the black HP laptop. Forensic examiners noted approximately 70 child pornography images located on the iPod. Forensic examiners noted 10,165 files and 172 folders, the majority of which contained child pornography on the Memorex USB. Forensic examiners noted approximately 1650 images and videos, of primarily child pornography, were contained on the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Dismore was also discovered to be an owner, administrator, and member of several private chat groups, using a popular online application. Dismore’s chat groups were dedicated to the trafficking of child pornography and related discussions. Examiners discovered that Dismore used his Samsung cell phone to exchange child pornography and to provide links to his Dropbox and Mega Cloud storage accounts to other users, which contained large collections of child pornography. Dismore tailored links to his child pornography collections based on each group member’s specific sexual interest. Dismore has been sharing his large volumes of child pornography since at least 2007.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police.

            “The message here is clear - you may think sitting behind a computer in your home will provide anonymity and heinous activity such as this won’t be detected - but the FBI and our law enforcement partners will use every technique and tool at our disposal to identify you and put a stop to this deplorable activity,” said Special Agent in Charge Grant Mendenhall, FBI Indianapolis. “Protecting the most innocent of Hoosier victims – our children - is a top priority, and you will be held accountable.”

            “Indiana State Police investigators work diligently every day, all across Indiana, and in close collaboration with its law enforcement partners, to bring to justice those who seek to capitalize on the victimization of children,” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted this case for the government, Dismore will serve 10 years’ supervised release following his prison sentence.

In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to utilize and partner with law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals engaged in the sexual exploitation of children. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 4.1.