Former Child Abuse and Neglect Investigator Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

TULSA, Okla. – A Sapulpa man and former child abuse and neglect investigator was sentenced today for Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Joseph Allen Dale Koss, 45, to 108 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Koss will also be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Koss knowingly possessed hundreds of videos and images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Some of those files contained pre-pubescent children being sexually abused and images of sadistic conduct.

When arrested, Koss was working as a child abuse and neglect investigator with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Sapulpa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Robert and Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.