FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 07, 2008
BYRON JENISON SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Helena, on March 6, 2008, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, BYRON JENISON, a 52-year-old resident of Helena, appeared for sentencing. JENISON was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 60 months
- Special Assessment: $200
- Forfeiture: computer equipment
- Supervised Release: life
JENISON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to receipt and possession of child pornography.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In 2006, the Miami FBI office utilized peer-to-peer file sharing software to track persons who had child pornography. In April of 2006, a computer utilizing the IP address later found to be assigned to JENISON at his address in Helena, had images of child pornography available to other peer-to-peer users. The agents downloaded images of child pornography publicly available on JENISON'S computer.
On June 27, 2006, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at the residence and seized numerous items of computers and computer-related equipment. When questioned, JENISON admitted that he typically spent most of the day surfing the Internet and admitted that he had viewed and downloaded child pornography via the Internet and several computers. JENISON also admitted that he used the file sharing program identified by the Miami FBI agent to share child pornography files with others on the Internet.
Forensic analysis of the computers revealed numerous image files and movies containing images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that JENISON will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, JENISON does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
