Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on May 14, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, DANIEL TARVER, a 22-year-old resident of Great Falls, appeared for sentencing. TARVER was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 80 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Supervised Release: 5 years

TARVER was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to receipt of child pornography.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

The Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force initiated an operation targeting peer-to-peer file-sharing networks offering child pornography.

In March 2008, it was determined that a computer, utilizing an IP address assigned to TARVER at his Great Falls residence, had images of child pornography available to other peer-to-peer users.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents followed up the lead by interviewing TARVER. TARVER told the investigators that he used the Limewire file-sharing program on both his computers, an Aspire desktop computer and a generic laptop. He admitted that he had downloaded and viewed child pornography on his computers for a number of years but would usually delete the images after a period of time. He stated that he was doing research on child pornography and would send information regarding child porn sites to another website he understood would shut down the illegal sites. TARVER admitted to using keyword searches he knew would result in finding child pornography on the Internet. He told investigators that he believed the children in the pornographic images he downloaded were generally between 8 and 14 years of age.

A forensic analysis of TARVER'S computers revealed more than 750 images of child pornography on the Aspire desktop computer and more than 50 images on the generic laptop. The images included depictions of children under the age of twelve and penetration. The image files had creation dates ranging from October 2006 through May 2008.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that TARVER will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, TARVER does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Lahr prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched 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/.

 

 

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