Washington man sentenced to 10 years in child porn case

MISSOULA—A Washington man who admitted attempting to view child pornography on a computer while riding a bus was sentenced today to a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Eric Franklin Rosser, 67, of Ellensburg, Wash., pleaded guilty in October to accessing with intent to view child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. Molloy also fined Rosser $10,000, levied a total of $5,000 in special assessments and ordered Rosser’s computer to be forfeited.

An investigation began on July 22, 2017, when a passenger on a commercial bus heading east on Interstate 90 near Butte noticed that Rosser, who was seated in front of him, was viewing child porn on his laptop computer. When the bus arrived in Billings, the passenger approached Rosser about the video, and Rosser responded, “Leave me alone. I know I have a problem.”

Law enforcement was called to the Billings bus station, and officers questioned Rosser. Rosser admitted he was watching child porn that was being sold online. He also said he had $10,000 cash strapped to each leg and another $50,000 cash in his bags. Officers found the money along with $2,402 that was in Rosser’s wallet. Rosser admitted to emptying his bank account before leaving Washington.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Billings Police Department.

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