Coeur d’Alene Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charge

COEUR D'ALENE - Keith David Killingsworth, 38, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in federal court to possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Killingsworth was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on February 18, 2015.     

According to the plea agreement, between July 2013, and December 2013, investigators with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) observed that a computer in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was making sexually explicit images of minors available on the internet.  ICAC investigators were able to determine that the images were being shared from a computer at Killingsworth’s residence and obtained a search warrant.

ICAC investigators seized a number of computers from Killingsworth’s residence.  A United States Secret Service forensic examiner later found that one of these computers, seized from Killingsworth’s bedroom, contained over 2,000 images and 67 videos, depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Search terms indicated that Killingsworth was looking for child pornography.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children determined that Killingsworth’s child pornography collection included images of minors from multiple states, including Washington, Indiana, New Jersey, Iowa, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and a number of foreign countries.   

The charge of possession of sexually explicit images of minors is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, and up to lifetime supervised release.

Sentencing is set for December 15, 2015, before Senior United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office, Boise Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Secret Service.  These agencies participate in the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children.  For more information about the Idaho ICAC Task Force and a list of all the participating agencies, visit www.icactaskforce.org.

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 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.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”