FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 25, 2008
DANIEL LEE PRUS PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on April 25, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, DANIEL LEE PRUS, a 25-year-old resident of Bozeman, pled guilty to receipt and possession of child pornography. Sentencing is set for September 19, 2008. He is currently released on special conditions.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On November 3, 2007, a computer was brought to the Bozeman Police Department by an individual. The individual had found the computer abandoned and sitting outside a dumpster in Bozeman. The individual stated that he was in the process of rebuilding the computer when he found what appeared to be child pornography on the computer. Officers powered up the computer and found information identifying the computer as formerly belonging to PRUS, as well as finding numerous images and movies of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
On December 7, 2007 a search warrant was executed on PRUS' residence. PRUS voluntarily gave a statement to detectives stating that he had purchased two new computers and transferred all the child pornography images onto his new computer prior to throwing the old computer out. PRUS acknowledged that the computers contained numerous images and movies of child pornography, some of which were obtained through Kazaa or purchased and downloaded via the Internet. PRUS also admitted that he had viewed all the child pornography images on his computer.
A subsequent forensic analysis of PRUS' computer revealed over 2,000 images and over 200 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including many known children and including children clearly prepubescent or under the age of 12 engaged in sadistic or masochistic activity or other depictions of violence.
PRUS faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and could be sentenced to the maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
