Bozeman man sentenced to 15 years in prison for transporting child pornography files

MISSOULA  — A Bozeman man who admitted to using an online account to transport child pornography files was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Jacob Michael Rieger, 23, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to transportation of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in February 2022, the Bozeman Police Department, which is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), investigated Rieger for a child pornography crime. The investigation involved Rieger using an online account to transport child pornography files. At that time, Rieger was on probation with the Montana Department of Corrections for a prior child pornography crime. The Bozeman Police Department reported the investigation to Rieger’s state probation officer. The probation officer and ICAC officer searched Rieger’s residence, and Rieger admitted to using an online social media account to access child pornography. Records for Rieger’s online account showed that he was accessing and saving child pornography videos and images to the online account from approximately October 2021 through March 2022.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyndee L. Peterson and Brian C. Lowney prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bozeman Police Department and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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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