Fargo Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography

FARGO – Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on July 9, 2015, Devon Cole Reed, 27, Fargo, North Dakota, was sentenced before U. S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve 16 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release on two counts of Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography, and three counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Erickson also sentenced Reed to pay $3000 in restitution.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after the electronic service provider Google notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a specific Gmail account contained child pornography. Law enforcement traced the account to Devin Reed, who was residing in Fargo, North Dakota. A search of Reed’s email accounts revealed that he was using them for the purpose of trading child pornography with other users located throughout the country. Law enforcement also recovered various media from Reed’s residence that also contained child pornography.

"HSI has taken a very aggressive stance against those who trade in child pornography in our communities," said acting Special Agent in Charge William Lowder of HSI in St. Paul. "Anyone who would violate the most innocent among us should know that law enforcement at all levels are standing shoulder to shoulder to hunt these predators down to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

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

Assistant U. S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl and Assistant U. S. Attorney Keith Reisenauer prosecuted 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, and/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.