Scottsbluff Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Cody Metter, 31, formerly of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 87 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for receipt of child pornography.  There is no parole in the federal prison system.  In addition to his prison term, Metter will be required to serve 12 years on supervised release and register as a sex offender. Metter was also ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution.

In March of 2018 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reviewed a CyberTip submitted by Snapchat, regarding a child pornography video uploaded on their platform.  Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation were able to identify Metter as the account holder of the originating IP address that uploaded the video.

A federal search warrant was executed on Metter’s home in Scottsbluff in August of 2018, and computer equipment was seized.  Forensic examination of the computer equipment located approximately 1,700 videos and more than 25,000 images of child pornography.  Metter admitted that he had been receiving and downloading child pornography since he was 11 years old. 

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 Omaha FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.