Weissert, Nebraska Man Sentenced to 100 Months for Receiving Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Zachary Peterson, 36, of Weissert, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for receiving child pornography.  United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Peterson to 100 months of imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After completing his term of imprisonment, Peterson will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.  Peterson was also ordered to pay $25,000 in fines.    

On February 6, 2020, Peterson received via his Yahoo email account four links to MEGA files.  One of the links contained approximately 78 videos of child pornography.  On the same day, Peterson used the Yahoo email account to send images of child pornography.  On February 19, 2020, a law enforcement agent met with Peterson and obtained his cell phone.  There were at least 25 images of child pornography on the phone. 

This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.