Lincoln Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Alex Paul Garden,  29, formerly of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 3 years in prison by United States Senior District Judge Richard G. Kopf, for possession of child pornography.  After his release from prison, Garden will also serve 5 years on supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender.

In February, 2013, a Cyber Tip was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding users on a web site involved in an inappropriate chat in which nude images were exchanged.  The website provided email addresses and IP addresses for the users who sent and received the nude images.  The Nebraska State Patrol served a subpoena on Time Warner Cable requesting records and information relating to the subscriber using the IP address on the specific date and time that IP address was used during a chat conversation in the Cyber Tip.  Time Warner Cable provided the requested records, which showed that IP address was issued to Alex Garden, at an address in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

A search warrant was executed by the Nebraska State Patrol at Garden’s residence in Lincoln, Nebraska.  During the execution of the search warrant, investigators seized Garden’s computer.

Forensic analysis of the computer revealed images of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct as defined by federal law.  The investigation determined that some of the images were accessed and downloaded from a foreign website known for the distribution of child pornography.  

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 Nebraska State Patrol.