SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Galena, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing child pornography as well as trafficking in counterfeit DVDs.

Bruce Alan Starfield, 61, of Galena, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to three years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Starfield, who pleaded guilty on April 17, 2012, to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the child victims.

An employee at a computer repair shop discovered child pornography on a computer that Starfield had left to be serviced and alerted law enforcement on Jan. 28, 2011. Investigators examined the computer and discovered numerous images of child pornography. Law enforcement officers also searched Starfield’s residence and discovered a large collection of pornography.

Examiners discovered hundreds of images of child pornography on 50 CD-DVD’s and on two Iomega 100 zip drive disks that were seized from Starfield’s residence.

Law enforcement also discovered a large collection of commercial CD, DVD and VHS movies that appeared to be counterfeit when they searched Starfield’s residence. Starfield admitted that he bought movies on eBay, printed labels for the movies, placed the labels on the CD-DVD containers and then sold the movies at flea markets. Officers found approximately 3,000 DVDs, of which 179 were seized because they were counterfeit.

The court also ordered Starfield to forfeit to the government a computer tower, 50 CD-DVDs, four zip drive disks, a laptop computer and 179 DVDs.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Ozark, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

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