NORTHWEST ARKANSAS MAN SENTENCED FOR PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 8, 2011 |
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Fayetteville - Robert J. Fortier, of Rogers, was sentenced today to 25 years imprisonment for
production of child pornography, announced Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the
Western District of Arkansas. United States District Chief Judge Jimm Larry Hendren ordered
Fortier to pay $25,000 in fines, $600 in restitution and ordered him to serve a lifetime of supervised
release upon his release from prison.
“Crimes against children remain among the highest priorities for our office” commented
Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. “It is simply
inexcusable that kids are victimized in this way. We will continue to pursue and prosecute cases
such as this and hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable.”
According to court filings and information discussed in court, on September 18, 2010,
officers of the Rogers Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Rogers, Arkansas, in
reference to a possible rape. Upon arrival, a man reported that his 9 year-old and 10 year-old
daughters had been sexually assaulted by Fortier, who was also living at the residence. The defendant
had used his cell phone to capture images of one of the girls posed in sexually explicit ways and in
various stages of undress. Fortier entered a plea of guilty on June 7th, 2011 to Production of Child
Pornography with Materials that have Moved in Interstate Commerce, namely the defendant’s cell
phone, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e).
Fortier had previously been convicted of First Degree Sexual Assault in Madison, Wisconsin
and he committed the present offense while on probation for Theft of Property in Benton County.
This case was investigated by Rogers Police Department and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyra E. Jenner.
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