Fargo Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 8, 2013, Brandon Lee Stockburger of Fargo, N.D., was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on three counts of possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors and one count of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. Stockburger, 26, pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 14, 2013.

Judge Erickson sentenced Stockburger to nine and one-half years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Stockburger was ordered register as a sex offender and to pay a $400 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.

The case came to the attention of law enforcement after a North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent located child pornography files which had been offered to be shared by an internet protocol (IP) address originating in Fargo, N.D. The IP address was assigned to Stockburger’s residence which was eventually searched by law enforcement pursuant to a state search warrant.

During the search, state and federal agents recovered numerous electronic media containing approximately 156 videos and 2,328 images depicting the graphic sexual abuse of children, including images depicting prepubescent children.

The incidents occurred from 2007 through April 2012, in the District of North Dakota.

The case was investigated by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Fargo Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as a 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.