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Press Release

John Todd Scott Sentenced In U.S. District Court

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

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on July 10, 2013, before Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen, JOHN TODD SCOTT, a 29-year-old resident of Billings, was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 60 months

Special Assessment: $100

Forfeiture: computer equipment

Supervised Release: 10 years

SCOTT was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to receipt of child pornography.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori H. Suek, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

Law enforcement officers were investigating allegations of child pornography access by users utilizing the peer-to-peer file sharing network. One investigation involved a person in Billings who had child pornography available to share via a file sharing program. An undercover agent downloaded a number of child pornography files from that person on various occasions in 2011 and into 2012. A search warrant was obtained for the residence and served on September 6, 2012.

SCOTT was one of the occupants of the residence. When questioned, SCOTT admitted that he used the peer-to-peer file sharing programs to receive and possess thousands of child pornography videos and images. He detailed the search terms he used to find child pornography, how he saved it to various computers and other equipment, and how he had been doing so for a lengthy period of time.

Agents seized various computer equipment at SCOTT's residence. Subsequent forensic examination revealed thousands of images and movies of child pornography that SCOTT had received via the Internet for several years and continuing until the equipment was seized. SCOTT possessed images and movies of children clearly prepubescent and children engaged in sadistic or masochistic abuse or other depictions of violence.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that SCOTT will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, SCOTT does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Updated January 14, 2015