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Press Release

Las Vegas Man Sentenced To Over 24 Years In Prison For Receipt, Possession And Advertising Of Over 30,000 Child Pornography Images and Videos

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

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 293 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release for receiving, possessing, and advertising more than 30,000 images and videos of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division.

James Scott Alva, 45, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones. In January, after a four-day trial, a jury convicted him of receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and advertising of child pornography.

During an investigation into the online receipt and distribution of child pornography on a peer-to-peer network, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detective identified and downloaded child sexual exploitation files shared by Alva. The detective also obtained a “browse list” from Alva’s computer advertising 92 child pornography files available for sharing over the network. During the subsequent execution of a search warrant at Alva’s residence, law enforcement seized nine electronic devices from Alva’s bedroom, which contained a total of 28,403 images and 2,851 videos of child pornography. Of the child pornography images and videos, 167 depicted bondage, 1,136 depicted infants, and 20 depicted bestiality. In an interview with a detective, Alva admitted he searched for and received child pornography via peer-to-peer networks and the internet over the course of approximately 10 years. He also identified a laptop found in his room as containing child pornography and stated the child pornography on that laptop would be mostly videos and that some would depict “very young” children.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Burton and Elham Roohani prosecuted the case.

The case 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 and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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Updated April 9, 2018

Topic
Project Safe Childhood
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