Omaha Man Sentenced to more than 15 years for Possession of Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Scott A. Baze, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 188 months’ imprisonment for possession of child pornography by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Baze will begin a lifetime term of supervised release. The terms of Baze’s supervised release prohibit him from having any contact with children under the age of 18, unless it is approved by the United States Probation Office.  He was ordered to pay $66,000 in restitution.

An investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force determined that between January 14, 2022, and February 1, 2022, Baze, using his cellular telephone, received through the internet images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  The investigation was triggered in May of 2021 when Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies requested that Baze, a registered sex offender, allow them to search his cellphone.  That search revealed Baze had previously possessed images of child pornography.  During a subsequent search warrant of Baze’s Omaha residence, investigators found evidence of more than 1,500 images and 3 videos of child pornography on a cellphone belonging to Baze.     

Baze was previously convicted on July 17, 2001, of Sexual Assault of a Child, in Douglas County District Court, Omaha, Nebraska, and received a 20-month to 5-year prison sentence.  Baze was also previously convicted on June 3, 2010, of Possession of Child Pornography, in Douglas County District Court, Omaha, Nebraska, and received a 20- to 60-month prison sentence.

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 Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.