Hansen Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison For Possession Of Child Porngraphy

            SALT LAKE CITY – A Salt Lake City man who admitted he had more than 600 images of child pornography in his possession, including images depicting young children being sexually assaulted by adults, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

            Steven Seth Hansen, age 36, of Salt Lake City, who has a previous federal conviction for use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor, must also register as a sex offender, pay restitution in the case, and forfeit a phone and tablet.

            As a part of a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Hansen pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, which included a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby, who imposed the sentence last week, ordered Hansen to report to federal prison to begin serving his sentence on Jan. 15, 2016.

            Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hansen’s home in March, following up on tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Agents and officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force recovered a tablet and phone with child pornography images on them. Hansen was charged with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography in an indictment returned in March.

            This case was investigated and prosecuted as a part of Utah Project Safe Childhood, an   initiative targeting child sexual exploitation.  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.