Federal Jury Indicts Boise Man On Child Exploitation Charges

BOISE – U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that Jason Lloyd Schaber, 40, of Boise, Idaho, is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on February 19 on charges related to allegations of child exploitation.  Specifically, the indictment returned by the federal grand jury on February 12 alleges that Schaber posted ads on Craigslist offering a three-year-old minor for sex.  The indictment also includes 22 other charges related to production, distribution and possession of child pornography between 2010 and 2012.

According to court documents, investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task force began their investigation of Schaber in April 2012, after Boise police were contacted by a person who saw a Craigslist ad offering a toddler for sex.  Investigators working with Craigslist and Google traced the ad to Schaber in mid-May 2012, according to reports.  Schaber was arrested on May 31, 2012; he has been in custody on state charges since then.  Ada County dismissed the state charges yesterday in favor of the federal indictment.

The federal indictment alleges that Schaber used a facility in interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise that involved the sex trafficking of a child, and that he offered and attempted to induce a person under 18 years of age into prostitution.  The indictment further alleges that between April 2010 and May 2012, Schaber produced sexually explicit images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that he distributed child pornography images and videos to 16 other individuals via email between September 2011 and April 2012.

A three-year old child, who is known to Schaber, was placed in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and is currently in foster care.

The charge of use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering enterprise sex trafficking of a child – introducing a person under 18 years into prostitution, as charged in count one of the indictment, is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years supervised release.

The charge of sexual exploitation of children–production of sexually explicit images of a minor, as charged in counts two through six, is punishable by not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in prison; distribution of sexually explicit images of minors, as charged in counts seven through 22, is punishable by not less than five years and not more than 20 years in prison; and possession of sexually explicit images of minors, as charged in count 23, is punishable by up to ten years in prison.  Each count is punishable by at least five years to lifetime supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000.

“Protecting children from sexual abuse and sexual exploitation is a critical law enforcement function,” said Olson.  “Tragically, this case involves the exploitation and victimization of a young child and the production and distribution of child pornography.  Fortunately, through the cooperative efforts of federal and local law enforcement and the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, we have been able to fully investigate this case and obtain an indictment that addresses all of the conduct identified by law enforcement.”

The case is being investigated by the Boise Police Department, the Ada County Sheriff's Office, and members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with technical assistance provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity.  It is not evidence.  The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the 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.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”  For more information about registered sex offenders in Idaho, visit www.isp.idaho.gov/sor_id/.