Former Eielson Airman Sentenced for Child Pornography Crime

Fairbanks, Alaska – Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Stephen Wyzatecki, 25, formerly an Airman stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 38 months in prison, to be followed by an eight-year term of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.

According to documents filed in this case and arguments made at today’s sentencing, on four occasions between November 2015 and April 2016, law enforcement agents identified the defendant’s computer offering files of child pornography through the internet. Law enforcement agents searched the defendant’s residence on Eielson Air Force Base on Oct. 12, 2016. Located on the defendant’s computer were 895 images and 69 videos of child pornography. Among the files possessed by the defendant were videos of prepubescent girls being sexually assaulted, and pictures of the genitalia of children as young as five years old.

When questioned by law enforcement agents, the defendant admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography. The defendant admitted that his use of the file-sharing network to download images of child pornography had been ongoing for approximately one year, that he viewed images weekly, and that the last time he had viewed child pornography was two days before the search.

In pronouncing his sentence, Judge Beistline commented that the images downloaded by the defendant were “graphic and involved numerous young girls” being filmed while they were being sexually assaulted. Judge Beistline noted that every time an image is viewed, the victim shown in that image is “re-victimized.” With his sentence, Judge Beistline sought to protect the children who are molested in order to feed the online marketplace of child pornography. “In Alaska, and throughout the country,” said Judge Beistline, “we just want to protect our children.”

The case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets/Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children through sex trafficking, as well as to identify and recover victims. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative which was launched to increase federal prosecutions of sexual predators of children, and to reduce the number of internet crimes against children including child pornography trafficking. As a part of PSC, the United States Attorney’s Office has teamed with state and local agencies and organizations to increase law enforcement presence on the Internet, and to educate the public about safe internet use,

thereby reducing the risk that children might fall prey to online sexual predators. For additional information on the PSC initiative, please go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.