$400,000 Restitution Ordered for Two Minor Victims in Production of Child Pornography Case

Spokane – William D. Hyslop United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced Dale Gordon Black, age 63, of Kennewick, Washington, who had previously pled guilty to three counts of production of child pornography, has just been ordered to pay $400,000 restitution to two of his victims.

On December 18, 2018, Black pleaded guilty to three counts of Production of Child Pornography. On July 16, 2019, Senior United States District Judge Edward Shea sentenced Black to a 30-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. The Court also ordered Black to forfeit $185,900 in cash and his Subaru Legacy, and to pay $19,150 in restitution to other victims and $305,000 in fines, $5,000 of which was imposed under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

On May 15, 2020, consistent with the stipulation and agreement of the parties, the Court found the two minor victims seeking restitution were entitled to receive restitution for past and future medical services, including physical, psychiatric, or psychological care, and ordered

Black to pay restitution in the amount of $200,000 per victim. The Court ordered Black, consistent with the agreement of the parties, to purchase a structured, guaranteed settlement annuity for each of the two victims seeking restitution, in the amount of $200,000. The Court ordered the structured settlement annuities purchased by Black shall provide monthly payments to the victims to be used for their future medical care.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on July 18, 2017, undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agents downloaded a child pornography video from an Internet Protocol address that was traced to Black's residence using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and seized many electronic devices from Black’s residence. A forensic examination of Black’s electronic devices revealed child pornography images that he had produced. The images were of three children Black knew either as neighbors or through his work in a local youth mentoring program. Black produced the images at his house and on overnight trips he took alone with the children.

United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Sexual predation and exploitation of children are heinous crimes. That Dale Black preyed on vulnerable children through his participation in a youth mentorship program make his crimes even more egregious. The children in our community are safer now that Black has been convicted of three serious felony child pornography offenses and removed from society and the ability to hurt others. The restitution imposed reflects the gravity of the harm such terrible actions cause to victims. Victims of child pornography can never be truly compensated for what they suffered and endured. However, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington will continue to pursue restitution as an integral part of our efforts to seek justice on behalf of child pornography victims. The sentence imposed in this case, the forfeiture of Black’s assets, and the restitution ordered serves as a stern warning to offenders that you will be held accountable for your actions.”

This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:

• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;

• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;

• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;

• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and,

• Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of

Investigation with assistance from the ICAC Task Force, the Richland Police Department and the Kennewick Police Department.

The ICAC Task Force is comprised of the Cities of Richland and Kennewick, Benton County, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Seattle Office. The ICAC Task Force serves the public’s best interest by allowing these agencies to pool resources and knowledge to investigate, prosecute and deter the possession, production, and distribution of child pornography and the utilization of the internet to seek out children as sexual victims.

This case was prosecuted by Brian M. Donovan and Alison L. Gregoire, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.