Illinois Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Distribution of Child Pornography in Xbox Sting

ORLANDO—United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Scott Anthony Estes (19, of New Berlin, Illinois) was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. He was also ordered to serve a life term of supervision following his incarceration. Estes pleaded guilty in November 2013.

According to the plea agreement, Estes began contact with a 10-year-old boy on Xbox Live. Estes attempted to convince the child to engage in a sexual relationship. The child told his father about the conversation, and the father contacted law enforcement. Acting in an undercover capacity, agents initiated an investigation and continued communication with Estes. Believing that he was still talking to the child, Estes sent videos depicting child pornography and images of his genitalia.

Estes was arrested by law enforcement on March 22, 2013. During an interview, he stated that he had met the child while playing a video game played on Xbox. Estes also admitted to sending a picture of his genitalia to the child, as well as child pornography videos. He stated that he had asked the child to send naked pictures of himself. Estes also said that he had been in communication with a 13-year-old boy in Texas and that he had met that child while playing Xbox as well.

Following Estes’ arrest, a search warrant was conducted on his e-mail address. An examination of his e-mail account showed that he distributed child pornography to numerous persons between July 2012 and March 2013. Among the images and videos of child pornography distributed, several included pornographic videos that Estes had produced himself, while sexually abusing at least two children. A forensic review of Estes’ cell phone showed that he possessed more than 1,200 images of child pornography, including images depicting infants being sexually abused. A majority of the images of child pornography depict children between the ages of 3 and 8.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher LaForgia.

It is another 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.