Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jason Talbott, age 34, formerly of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced to five years in Federal prison for receipt of child pornography. Following his release from prison, Talbott will remain under court supervision for the rest of his life.

In October of 2010, Talbott distributed child pornography to an undercover agent working with the United States Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") in Cleveland, Ohio. At the time, Talbott was residing in Spokane but follow up investigation by DHS revealed that Talbott had been deployed as a United States Marine to Kuwait. A subsequent search of Talbott's email account, his quarters located at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, and a storage unit in Spokane, Washington revealed Talbott received and possessed over 20,000 images of child pornography.

Michael C. Ormsby stated, "The United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Washington, in conjunction with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, is committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. This case was particularly troubling given the staggering number of child pornography images discovered."

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. The Project Safe Childhood (PSC) Initiative 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 United States Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.

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