Child pornography production sends Dillon man to prison for more than 18 years

MISSOULA  — A Dillon man who admitted to recording himself having sex with a minor girl on multiple occasions was sentenced today to 18 years and four months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Blaine Anthony Thomas Burger, 20, pleaded guilty in March to production of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

In a plea agreement filed in the case, the parties agreed that the evidence established the commission of two additional counts of production of child pornography involving two additional Jane Does, and that the agreement would be treated as if Burger had been convicted of the additional counts for purposes of calculating his recommended sentencing guideline range.

“Burger’s violent, perverse and destructive conduct caused a lifetime of damage to these girls. He built trust and developed relationships with them, and then abused and sexually exploited them for his own gratification. Protecting children from predatory conduct, like Burger’s, and holding offenders accountable remains a top priority for our office,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government alleged in court documents that Burger preyed on three underage girls, torturing two of the girls, convincing both that he cared for them, and blackmailing a third girl until she sent him nude images of herself. Between October 2021 and May 1, 2022 in Dillon, Burger was in a dating relationship with Jane Doe 1, who was under the age of 18. On April 30, 2022, Jane Doe 1 told law enforcement that she had been in an abusive sexual relationship with Burger for the last several months. Jane Doe 1 further disclosed that Burger had sex with her on multiple occasions, recorded them having sex on his phone and kept the videos. When interviewed, Burger admitted to having sex with Jane Doe 1 more than 10 times after he learned that she was underage. Burger further admitted he had naked pictures of Jane Doe 1 on his phone. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Burger’s phone and recovered three videos that were recorded by Burger and depict him having sexual intercourse with Jane Doe 1.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office, Dillon Police Department, Helena Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation.

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 growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

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