Spokane Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Shane A. Grifford, age 28, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today after having previously pleaded guilty on December 16, 2014 to Distribution of Child Pornography Images. United States District Court Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. sentenced Grifford to a five year term of imprisonment. Gifford’s five year sentence of imprisonment will be followed by a fifteen year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Grifford will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court records, on four separate occasions between August 4, 2013 and September 11, 2013, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent, acting in undercover capacities on a Peer to Peer (P2P) file sharing program, received child pornography images from Grifford. As a result of further investigation, on November 1, 2013, HSI executed a federal search warrant at Grifford’s residence in Spokane, Washington. Grifford’s computer and other digital items of evidence were seized. A forensic examination of Grifford’s computer and hard drives revealed over 445 images and 213 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the images show bondage and a number of the images are child pornography images of children under the age of 12 years.

Michael C. Ormsby said, “Prosecuting offenders who are distributing child pornography is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington. This Office, together with its Federal and state law enforcement partners, is and will continue to be committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes.”

This case was prosecuted 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 Page -2- 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 investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) a component of the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.