07-30-2007
Beaverton Man Sentenced to Statutory Maximum of Ten Years Imprisonment for Possession of Child Pornography
International Investigation Leads to Search Warrant and Discovery of Thousands of Images of Child Pornography
Portland, Ore. - Mark Alan Snider, 41, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Garr M. King to 120 months imprisonment for Unlawfully Possessing Child Pornography. Judge King also ordered the defendant to serve a term of three years of supervised release following the completion of his prison term. The ten-year sentence was the maximum term of imprisonment allowed by statute.
The investigation began in March 2005, when the German National Police Computer Crime Unit, while conducting an undercover Internet operation, downloaded a video file from the defendant=s computer that depicted a prepubescent girl being sexually abused by an adult male. The file was downloaded via the defendant=s use of KaZaA, an Internet file sharing program, and then forwarded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Portland, Oregon for follow-up. On March 23, 2006, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant on the defendant=s residence in Beaverton, Oregon and seized several computers. During the search the defendant admitted that he had downloaded images of child pornography from the Internet to his computer and that he shared images of child pornography with other KaZaA users over the Internet. On the defendant’s computers law enforcement agents found thousands of images of child pornography, including images of girls as young as five years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct and young girls being sexually abused by adults.
“Those who download child pornography are helping to feed the illegal market for these images and are continuing to victimize children,” United States Attorney Karin Immergut stated. “Hopefully, those involved in distributing, receiving, or possessing child pornography will hear the clear message sent by this case – we will continue to aggressively prosecute those involved in the sexual exploitation of children and at sentencing, we will continue to seek and receive significant prison sentences.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation via the Internet. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Kerin and investigated by agents from the German National Police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the execution of the search warrant.
