U.S. Attorney's Office indicts two cases where women were working with a male to sexually exploit children

DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has obtained federal grand jury indictments in two separate unrelated cases where a woman, working with a male, sexually exploited a child, captured the abuse on camera or transmitted it live via the internet, thus producing child pornography.  One case was investigated by the FBI, and the other case was investigated by the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

On June 15, 2015, Mr. Matthew Scott Holt, age 34 and Ms. Jordain Larsen, age 26, of Westminster, were advised in court on charges contained in an Indictment that a federal grand jury returned on June 9, 2015.  Four of the counts charged Holt and Larsen together with production, and aiding and abetting one another’s production, of child pornography.  Seventeen of the remaining counts charged either Holt and Larsen with production of child pornography.  The last count charges Holt with distribution of child pornography.  Prior to the indictment, both defendants had been arrested for child pornography production offenses based on charges filed in Criminal Complaints.  Both defendants were also ordered to be held without bond pending a resolution of their cases.

According to court documents, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office initiated the investigation after downloading child pornography from a residence in Westminster, Colorado. After the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office referred the case to the Westminster Police Department, WPD continued the investigation, including obtaining and executing a state search warrant.  Shortly after the execution of that warrant, WPD found pornographic images of Holt with a child under the age of three and it also found child pornographic images of a second child under the age of 12. WPD then requested the assistance of the FBI.  On May 14, 2015, Holt was located in Fort Collins in a shopping center parking lot where he was living out of his car, and he was arrested on a federal Criminal Complaint.  As detailed in that Complaint, FBI’s review of Holt’s computers revealed multiple child pornographic images of Ms. Larsen engaged in sexual conduct with the same child under the age of three who was depicted in child pornographic images with Holt.  Ms. Larsen was arrested on a federal Criminal Complaint shortly thereafter.  Holt and Larsen have appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge, where they have been advised of their rights and the charges pending against them.

In a second case, on May 6, 2015, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging both Mr. Brandon Tyler Hill, age 29, of Colorado Springs, and Ms. Rhiannon Carnahan, age 29, of Woodland Park, Colorado, charging both with counts of production, and aiding and abetting one another’s production, of child pornography and transportation, and aiding and abetting one another’s transportation, of child pornography.  Prior to the indictment, Mr. Hill and Ms. Carnahan were charged via Criminal Complaints.  Both defendants are detained without bond pending a resolution of their cases.  Hill and Carnahan have appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge, where they have been advised of their rights and the charges pending against them.

If convicted on the child pornography production counts, Ms. Larsen, Mr. Holt, Mr. Hill and Ms. Carnahan each face not less than 15 years, and not more than 30 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine, for each count.  Holt, Hill and Carnahan each also faces not less than 5 years, and not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine if convicted of distribution or transportation of child pornography.

The Holt and Larsen case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Westminster Police Department and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.  The Hill and Carnahan case was investigated by the Colorado Springs Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with support provided by the Woodland Park Police Department.

Holt and Larsen are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division, and Hill and Carnahan are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia Riewerts, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator.

The charges contained in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.