Ashland Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Conner Chapman, 21, of Ashland, Nebraska, was sentenced February 16, 2024 in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for receiving and distributing child pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Chapman to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Chapman’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.
In November of 2021, Nebraska’s Internet Crimes Against Children investigation team received a Cypertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting 5 video files were uploaded by a KIK user that contained child pornography. The IP address used for uploading of the files was identified as belonging to Chapman’s residence.
In September, 2022, a search warrant was executed on Chapman’s residence and a phone belonging to Chapman was seized. Chapman was interviewed and eventually admitted to viewing child pornography online. Chapman’s phone was forensically searched and 216 image files and 7 video files of child pornography were found.
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 www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Lecia Wright, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney (402) 661-3700