Boise Man Sentenced to over 4 Years for Possession of Child Pornography

BOISE – Justin Yount, 51, of Boise, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

According to court records, the investigation began after a citizen witness reported to the Boise Police Department (“BPD”) that she had observed child pornography on Yount’s laptop computer.  The witness turned the laptop over to BPD, who obtained a search warrant for Yount’s Boise residence and seized additional electronic devices. During a forensic examination of the devices, BPD located over one thousand files of child pornography. During an interview with BPD, Yount admitted to viewing child pornography.

United States District Judge Scott Skavdahl, from the District of Wyoming, sitting by designation, also ordered Yount to serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence, to forfeit the electronic devices that were used to commit the offense, and to pay $15,000 in restitution to the victims in the images he possessed. As a result of the conviction, Yount will be required to register as a sex offender.

U.S. Attorney Joshua Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Boise Police Department and the Intermountain West’s Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory which led to charges.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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