Zachary Lee Blaseg Sentenced In U.S. District Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on September 18, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ZACHARY LEE BLASEG, a 36-year-old resident of Livingston, was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 78 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Forfeiture: computers and DVDs

• Supervised Release: 15 years

BLASEG was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

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

In June and July of 2012, an agent for the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation was conducting an online Internet investigation to identify persons using peer-to-peer file sharing networks to download, distribute, and possess child pornography. The agent downloaded several files containing child pornography from an IP address that he later determined was assigned to an address in Livingston.

On October 15, 2012, the agent obtained and executed a search warrant on the address in Livingston. After conducting forensic previews of the computers found in the residence, the agent seized two custom computer towers from a bedroom being rented by BLASEG.

Later that day, the agent made contact with BLASEG on the Montana State University campus in Bozeman. The agent placed BLASEG under arrest on an unrelated traffic warrant. BLASEG agreed to a recorded interview with the agent and admitted that he lived at the address in Livingston. He admitted that the two computers that the Agent seized were his computers by confirming the description of these computers. He admitted that he had been searching for and downloading child pornography using these computers. BLASEG confirmed that the agent would find a large amount of child pornography on both computers.

A forensic examiner conducted a forensic examination on the computers seized from BLASEG's bedroom. Between the two computer towers, the examiner found a total of 477 videos of child pornography and 2,299 images of child pornography. Some of the images portrayed prepubescent children. Some of the images portrayed children engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that BLASEG will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, BLASEG 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 Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.