Spokane Valley Man Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison For Possessing Child Pornography

Spokane - Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Michael A. McGuffy, age 33, of Spokane Valley, Washington, was sentenced today after having previously plead guilty on April 17, 2013, to Receipt of Child Pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced McGuffy to a five year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a twenty year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, McGuffy was ordered to forfeit the computer and USB devices he used to receive the child pornography images.

According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in March of 2012, a Spokane County Sheriff's Office Internet undercover investigation discovered that McGuffy was sharing images of child pornography with other individuals, via the Internet, using a peer to peer file sharing program. On April 12, 2012, law enforcement from the Eastern District of Washington, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a search warrant at McGuffy's residence in Spokane Valley. The officers discovered McGuffy had downloaded in excess of 2000 images and 57 videos of child pornography onto his computer, which included images of minors under the age of twelve and sadistic and masochist images.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, "that our office and law enforcement partners take these cases very seriously and are committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. Prosecuting these types of crimes is particularly important because of the tender age of the innocent victims."

This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative ("PSC") has five major components:

• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue child victims;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

This investigation was conducted the United States Secret Service and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.

CR-13-0025-RMP