BOISE – Michael Joseph Ireland, 25, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced in United States District Court today to 60 months in prison for possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also sentenced Ireland to 15 years of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of computer equipment used in the offense. Ireland pleaded guilty to the charge on February 7, 2012.

According to a plea agreement, in June 2011, members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information that on three occasions in May 2011, Ireland had used peer-to-peer file sharing software on his computer to access and download child pornography. A search warrant executed at Ireland's Caldwell home resulted in the seizure of computers and computer storage media. An HSI forensic examination found the computer and hard drive contained more than 600 sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including prepubescent minors. During an interview with Boise Police in August 2011, Ireland admitted to knowingly downloading child pornography off the Internet.

The case was investigated by Boise Police Department investigators who are affiliated with the ICAC Task Force, with assistance by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). For more information about the ICAC Task Force, visit www.icacidaho.org.

This 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. For more information about internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."