BOISE – Christopher Scott, 51, of Dewey, Arizona, formerly of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced this afternoon to 48 months in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Scott to serve 15 years of supervised release, attend sex offender treatment, and forfeit computer equipment. Scott pleaded guilty to the offense in August 2011.

Under federal law, possession of child pornography carries a maximum punishment of up to ten years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and a minimum of five years to lifetime supervised release.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the law enforcement community will aggressively investigate and prosecute people who use the Internet to sexually exploit children,” said Olson. “Individuals who possess, view and share images of child pornography will be caught and punished.”

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice. 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.