United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Todd Hobbs, age 45 of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 26, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 5 years in prison by United States District Judge Richard G. Kopf, for possession of child pornography. After his release from prison, Hobbs will be required to serve a 5 year term of supervised release and be registered as a sex offender.

While conducting an undercover operation in April of last year, an investigator with the Lincoln Police Department was able to access child pornography images from computers that were using file sharing software publicly available on the Internet through a Peer-to-Peer Network. Using computer programs, the investigator was able to identify the Internet Protocol address for the computer sharing the images of child pornography. The Internet service provider indicated that the IP address was assigned to Hobbs.

A search warrant was executed at Hobbs’ residence in May of 2011. When investigators examined Hobbs’ computers, they found approximately 50 videos and approximately 25,000 digital images depicting child pornography and child erotica.

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 United States 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department.

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