Fargo Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography

FARGO - Acting U. S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on June 24, 2015, Dewayne William Barth II, 30, Fargo, North Dakota, pled guilty before U. S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to one count each of Production of Child Pornography, Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after Homeland Security Investigation Special Agents arrested an individual for production and possession of child pornography in Gatling, Tennessee.  A forensic examination of the computer in Tennessee revealed that the individual was sharing child pornography with multiple persons, including Barth.  Specifically, Barth produced and distributed images depicting a 3-year-old child engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

A Special Agent with the Homeland Security Investigations obtained and executed a search warrant for Barth’s email account which revealed that Barth was receiving and distributing child pornography via a yahoo email account from May 2014, continuing through October 2014.   Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force members also executed a search warrant at Barth’s residence where law enforcement recovered multiple electronic devices collectively containing more than 11,000 files of child pornography.  Sentencing for Barth has been tentatively set for September 16, 2015.  The combined maximum penalties on the charges for which Barth pled guilty to is 60 years in prison, with a combined minimum penalty of 20 years.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Fargo Police Department.

Assistant U. S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl is the prosecutor assigned to the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the nation, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions.  Project Safe Childhood also helps to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.