Emmett Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

BOISE – Rex Lanham III, 54, of Emmett, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

According to court records, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) determined that Lanham was a member and administer of social media groups where child pornography was being shared. As an administrator, Lanham had the ability to add or remove members from the group. The FBI obtained a federal search warrant for the contents of an online account belonging to Lanham and located child pornography. The FBI subsequently obtained a federal search warrant for Lanham’s residence in Emmett to search for evidence of the possession of child pornography. The FBI seized electronic devices belonging to Lanham and located additional files of child pornography on the devices.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Lanham to serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims in the images he possessed. Judge Winmill also ordered Lanham to forfeit the electronic devices that were used to commit the offense. As a result of the conviction, Lanham will be required to register as a sex offender.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gem County Sheriff’s Office, which led to the charges.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, 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.justice.gov/psc.

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