Richland Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

Spokane, Washington – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Zayne Kent Barbre, 29, of Richland, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on October 18, 2018, to four counts of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced Barbre to a 28-year term of imprisonment on the production counts, which involved Barbre recording himself sexually assaulting minor boys, and 20 years on the distribution count, which involved him sending those videos to other adult men. The Court ordered those sentences to be served concurrently, and recommended that related state charges be served concurrently as well, and imposed a lifetime of supervised release on Barbre.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Barbre: drugged 14- and 15-year old minors with methamphetamine before engaging in sex with them; got them hooked on methamphetamine so he could continue to rape them in exchange for providing them with drugs; engaged in human trafficking by making a minor prostitute himself to other adult men in exchange for methamphetamine and money; enforced his will by telling a minor he had a gun; harbored a minor so he could ply him with methamphetamine and engage in sex with him; and repeatedly recorded these heinous crimes, often without his drugged victims’ knowledge. At times, Barbre handcuffed his victims while sexually assaulting them. After Defendant’s arrest, law enforcement agents searched his digital devices and discovered 170 still images and 272 videos of child abuse. Sixty-seven of the still images and twenty-four of the videos were unique, meaning Barbre likely created them.

Barbre’s conduct also violated numerous state laws, and the global resolution in this case was negotiated in conjunction and consultation with the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office, who filed State charges against Barbre for related criminal acts.

Joseph H. Harrington said, “The 28-year sentence imposed today reflects Barbre’s despicable and cruel criminal conduct. As Judge Mendoza noted during today’s sentencing hearing, there are only a handful of crimes as monstrous as what Barbre did here. On behalf of our communities in the Eastern District of Washington, I salute the individual bravery of each the victims who came forward in this case -- we all support you as you continue to recover. This successful prosecution is the direct results of the seamless law enforcement partnerships among the Kennewick and Richland, Washington Police Departments, the Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force, and the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.”

“The abuse inflicted upon these young victims causes life-long mental and physical scars, said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. We arecommitted to finding and arresting these dangerous child predators; and I am grateful for our dedicated agents and the strong partnerships with all the agencies involved in bringing them to justice.”

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 children;

· 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 case was investigated by the Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and Police Departments for Kennewick and Richland, Washington. The case was prosecuted by David Herzog, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.