Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography on Her Computer

LAS VEGAS—The first woman charged and convicted federally in Nevada with an Internet child pornography crime has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Greg Brower of the District of Nevada.

Susan Dean, 43, of Las Vegas, was sentenced on Monday, July 27, 2009, by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones to 10 years in prison and lifetime supervised release. Dean pleaded guilty in April to one count of Receipt of Child Pornography.

On November 13, 2005, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officers visited Susan Dean’s residence following a report by Dean’s sister of concern for Dean’s minor sons, who were 12 and 14 years old at the time. Dean’s sister also reported that she had seen child pornography on her sister’s computer. When officers arrived at the residence and questioned Dean, she admitted that she had previously used the computer to engage in Internet sex. Dean permitted the officers to view her computer files, and admitted that she had “bad” images of minors with adults on her computer. The officers observed multiple child pornography images on Dean’s computer. The computer was seized, and a later forensic evaluation revealed that Dean possessed about 200 child pornography images and 80 child pornography videos. The images and movies included depictions of young, prepubescent children and bondage, as well as sexual penetration of children by adults.

This case 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Koppe.