Federal Jury Convicts Pocatello Man of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Receipt of Child Pornography

POCATELLO – Yesterday, after a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted Trenton Powell, 43, of Pocatello, of eight counts of sexual exploitation of a child and three counts of receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced.  Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill presided over the trial, which began on April 25, and concluded with guilty verdicts on May 2.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Powell sexually abused the first victim for six years while living in Pocatello.  Powell photographed the abuse with his iPhone.  Years after the abuse ended, another of Powell’s victim reported the abuse to police.  Police later seized Powell’s iPhone.  After the phone was forensically examined, police recovered images of Powell sexually abusing the first victim.  Both victims testified during the trial and confirmed that Powell was the man who molested them.

Powell is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2023, before Judge Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.  He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years with a maximum of up to 300 years in federal prison.  Judge Winmill will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  Powell will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.

“I am grateful that our office was able to prosecute this defendant for his heinous crimes and bring justice to the courageous victims,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit.  “We appreciate the jury’s service, which is especially difficult in a case like this.  We stand ready to seek justice whenever our community and law enforcement partners uncover crimes against children.”

U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Pocatello Police Department, which led to the charges.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Shirts and Justin Paskett.

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. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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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