Okanogan Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography Images

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Randy Zacherle, age 55, of Okanogan, Washington, was sentenced today after having previously been convicted by a jury on November 3, 2014 of Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Court Judge Stanley Allen Bastian sentenced Zacherle to a ten year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Zacherle was ordered to forfeit to the United States the laptop computer he used to receive and store his child pornography collection. Zacherle will also be required to register as a sex offender.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in 2009 Zacherle was convicted of Possession of Child Pornography and sentenced to 26 months and 8 days imprisonment and required to register as a sex offender. On April 29, 2013, Zacherle was arrested by Deputies from the United States Marshal’s Service and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office for failure to register as a sex offender. On October 30, 2013, Zacherle was convicted federally for failure to register as a sex offender. Further investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Zacherle was using a laptop computer with wiping software to receive and possess images of child pornography from 2011 until he was arrested in April of 2013. Law enforcement discovered Zacherle had collected over 1,000 images of child pornography, which included prepubescent female children under the age of twelve.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, “I commend the tireless efforts of the FBI, United States Marshal’s Service, and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. In addition, prosecuting offenders who fail to register as sex offenders is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office.”

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, United States Marshal’s Service and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister and Matthew Duggan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.