Child pornography possession sends Great Falls man to prison for 40 months

GREAT FALLS  — A Great Falls man who admitted to possessing child pornography images and videos was sentenced on Jan. 26 to 40 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Benjamin Thomas Urry, 30, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to possession of child pornography.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that in February 2020, the Great Falls Police Department, which is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip led to Urry’s residence, where law enforcement seized cellular phones from Urry’s bedroom. Urry told law enforcement that he had used his phones and an online account to download child pornography.  In a search of Urry’s phones, law enforcement located images and videos depicting child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyndee L. Peterson and Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Great Falls Police Department.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.

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