Spokane Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography Images

Spokane –Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Timothy Joseph Carlson, age 58, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today after having previously pleaded guilty on August 8, 2014 to Receipt of Child Pornography. Senior United States District Judge Justin L. Quackenbush sentenced Carlson to a fifteen year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Carlson will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court records, between May 2009 through November 15, 2013, Carlson received child pornography images using the Internet. Following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concerning a foreign website used to distribute child pornography, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Carlson’s residence in Spokane on November 15, 2013. During the search of his residence, Carlson admitted to FBI Special Agents that he had knowingly received and traded images of child pornography over the internet. The FBI’s subsequent forensic examination digital media and a computer seized from Carlson’s residence revealed numerous child pornography images.

Michael C. Ormsby said, “Prosecuting offenders who are receiving child pornography is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington. This Office, together with its Federal and state law enforcement partners, is and will continue to be committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes.”

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:

• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Spokane Police Department. The case was prosecuted by James A. Goeke, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

CR-14-00072-JLQ