Lincoln Man Sentenced to 20 1/2 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Steve Russell announced that Gregory Dightman, 53, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for four counts of production of child pornography. Dightman was sentenced to 20 1/2 years in prison and10 years of supervised release on each count with the sentences to be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. Dightman was additionally ordered to pay $12,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.

On November 19, 2019, the Lincoln Police Department received a child abuse/neglect intake from the Department of Health and Human Services. A mother reported that her daughter had been taking inappropriate photographs with a professional photographer (Gregory Dightman) that included nude images. LPD received search warrants for Dightman’s home and studio area where photos were taken. Dightman consented to talk to law enforcement and admitted that he knew how old the girl was and that he had taken nude photographs of her.

Through the examination of Dightman’s devices and interviews with other young women, it was determined that Dightman had created pornographic images of at least four young ladies who were minors at the time the photos were created/taken. The conduct spanned from 2009 until 2019. The victims were between the ages of 16 and 17 when Dightman took the sexually explicit photographs. The investigation revealed that Dightman would pay the victims for the photo shoots. Between the four young women, approximately 590 child pornographic images were recovered.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.