Kennewick Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

SPOKANE—Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that John C. Dickey, age 60, of Kennewick, Washington, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. He will be under court supervision for 10 years after he is released from prison and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

This investigation began in 2006, when Europol discovered the operation of a commercial child pornography website, arrested its operators and seized the child pornography videos being sold worldwide. John C. Dickey, then a laboratory supervisor working at the Umatilla Army Depot, living in Kennewick, Washington, was identified as a customer of that child pornography operation. On February 15, 2008, the Postal Inspection Service executed a federal search warrant at John Dickey’s residence. Agents seized numerous photographs of minors, video tapes of minors, a computer, and numerous digital media. Dickey acknowledged that child pornography would be found and admitted to an interest in erotica. Dickey stated that the rack of clothing and lighting equipment in the front room were for his modeling hobby, a hobby he claimed for over 30 years. He said that he would hire models for $50 per modeling session. Excluding lawful photographs, John Dickey's digital media revealed approximately 20,000 images of child pornography and 244 movies of child pornography.

Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said, “Our youth deserve better. Their safety and innocence are stolen and traded over the Internet by otherwise upstanding members of our community. Our law enforcement officers are to be commended for reaching around the globe to make our community safer. ”

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. The Project Safe Childhood (PSC) Initiative has five major components:

• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue child victims
• 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
• Community awareness and educational programs

To report these crimes, visit www.cybertipline.com or call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s hotline at 1-800-843-5678.

This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Lister, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.