Anchorage Man Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison For Possession of Child Pornography
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage, to 48 months in prison for one count of possession of child pornography.
On January 3, 2011, Ronald Patrick Sehrt, 52, of Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Sedwick.
According to information presented to the court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey J. Renschen, Sehrt possessed child pornography on a laptop computer from sometime in 2008, until March 2010. The images and videos depicted the sexual abuse and exploitation of prepubescent children, some of which were obtained commercially from a pay-to-view website.
In addition to sentencing Sehrt to 48 months in prison, Judge Sedwick imposed a $100 special assessment, and a five-year term of supervised release, during which Sehrt is required to participate in sex offender treatment, and restrict his use of computers and contact with children under 18 years of age.
Ms. Loeffler commended Homeland Security Investigations for their investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sehrt.
“This prison sentence is a reminder of the serious crime that is committed when individuals use the Internet to download images of child pornography,” said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Alaska. “HSI agents will continue to work tirelessly to identify these child predators and bring them to justice, one by one.”
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 combines federal, state and local resources to better identify, 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.
