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Press Release

Former Lewiston City Councilman Sentenced On Federal Child Pornography Charge

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho

COEUR D'ALENE - Matthew P. Carlson, 31, of Orofino, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in prison, followed by ten years supervised release for possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Carlson pleaded guilty to the charge on August 19, 2014.

According to statements made in court and court documents, Canadian authorities and U.S. Postal Inspection Services investigators discovered that Carlson, a former Lewiston City Councilman and Idaho prison guard, made 35 purchases of DVDs containing sexually explicit images of minors and child erotica from a Canadian company. The DVDs were sent to Carlson through the U.S. Mail over a period of several years.

In April 2013, a federal search warrant was served at Carlson’s residence in Orofino. According to statements made in Court, Carlson told investigators at the time of the search that they would find at least 3,000 images of nude boys on his computer. A forensic review of Carlson’s computers revealed at least that many images. A report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that Carlson’s child pornography collection contained images of at least 66 children that have been identified during prior nationwide investigations. Carlson was taken into custody to begin his sentence immediately.

The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Orofino Police Department. These agencies participate in the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children. For more information about the Idaho ICAC Task Force and a list of all the participating agencies, visit www.icacidaho.org.

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

Updated December 15, 2014

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