Las Vegas Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to 12 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for distributing images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

“Protecting our children is of utmost importance and today’s sentence demonstrates our office’s efforts to seek justice on behalf of victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcements partners will continue to work closely to protect children and hold accountable predators.”

“The FBI is committed to stopping and holding accountable anyone who engages in the sexual exploitation of children,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI. “Every time child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is viewed on the internet it re-victimizes a child. Knowing that the defendant will spend the next 12 years in federal prison, ensures there is one less predator victimizing the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community – our children.”

Jonathan Raymond Lish (38) pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of distribution of child pornography. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Lish must also register as a sex offender after completion of his prison term.

According to court documents, in May 2018, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received two reports from Skype regarding the upload of files containing CSAM. After a search warrant was obtained for Lish’s Skype account, investigators found a conversation with another user about raping and killing children. In that same conversation Lish also claimed he sexually assaulted young children. Lish and the other user agreed to trade CSAM with each other. During the execution of a search warrant for Lish’s residence, about 26 images of CSAM were located on an SD card.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bianca Pucci and Christopher Burton prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

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