59 Year Old Spokane Man Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison For Receiving Child Pornography

Spokane - Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that John Schadl, age 59, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced on August 22, 2013, after having previously pleaded guilty on May 28, 2013 to Receipt of Child Pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Schadl to a five year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Schadl was ordered to forfeit the computer he used to receive the child pornography images.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in January of 2012, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received three separate investigative referrals regarding sexually explicit conversations of concern on an Internet website. NCMEC referred the investigative materials to the Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Investigation conducted by ICAC Detectives from the Airway Heights Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office determined that Schadl had received child pornography images on his desktop computer at his residence in Spokane, Washington.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, "This case in yet another example of the strong working partnership established between Federal and local law enforcement officers. The public should be aware of these partnerships as well as the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Washington continued commitment to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. Prosecuting these types of crimes is a priority for this Office, particularly because of the tender age of the innocent children victimized by child-pornography crimes."

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 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 child victims;
• 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 investigation was conducted Homeland Security Investigations, the Airway Heights Police Department, and Spokane County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.

CR-13-0004-RMP