Ketchikan Man sentenced to five years in prison for distribution of child pornography

Ketchikan, Alaska-U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that, on March 24, 2016, a resident of Ketchikan was sentenced in federal court in Ketchikan for distribution of child pornography.

Don Arthur Henderson, 37, of Ketchikan, Alaska, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Timothy M. Burgess to serve five years in prison, to be followed by a 20 year term of supervised release, for a single count of distribution of sexually explicit images and videos of children.  Many of the images were prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Henderson was also ordered to pay restitution of $5,000 to the victims of the offense. 

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who prosecuted the case, Henderson, who had no criminal record, was identified in February 2015 by the FBI in Juneau as an individual who was distributing known images of child pornography to the internet using a peer to peer (P2P) program.  Henderson had made available and distributed five known images of child pornography on the Internet using his P2P program.  Further investigation revealed that Henderson had the five images of child pornography he made available on the Internet located on his personal computer for a total of 716 images and nine videos containing images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images depicting prepubescent children and sadistic and masochistic conduct.  

In ordering Henderson’s sentence, Chief Judge Burgess noted the seriousness of the underlying offense of distributing child pornography and that Henderson’s actions “perpetuate the sexual exploitation of children.”  Chief Judge Burgess also noted the need to protect the public, the need to deter the defendant and others, as well as, treating the defendant in the most effective manner as reasons for the sentence imposed in this case.

Ms. Loeffler commends the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Henderson.

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.