FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Dec. 3, 2012, Cody John O'Hara of Cavalier, N.D., was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on two counts of possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors and one count of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. O’Hara, 25, pleaded guilty on Sept. 10, 2012, to the charges.

Judge Erickson sentenced O'Hara to six and one-half years’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. O’Hara was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $500 and to pay a $300 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.

A search warrant was obtained and executed for O’Hara’s residence on April 2, 2012. During the search warrant execution, officers seized various electronic media that later was forensically examined by a North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. The examination of such media revealed more than 5,000 images and 16 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

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

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.

 

 

Return to Top