United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Calvin Dugan, age 30 of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced October 25, 2018, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 63 months in prison by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard, for possession of child pornography.  In addition to his prison term, Dugan will be required to serve 10 years on supervised release and register as a sex offender.  

In May 2017, New Zealand Digital Child Exploitation Team (NZDCET) observed individuals posting images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children using an internet website that allows users to create or enter online chatrooms.  NZDCET investigators observed an individual, later identified as Dugan, posting videos and images of child pornography.

In December, 2017, HSI Omaha and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Dugan’s residence in Lincoln where cellular telephones and other computer storage media were seized for forensic analysis.  When interviewed Dugan admitted to investigators that child pornography would be found on his devices.  Forensic analysis revealed Dugan possessed more than 150 images of child pornography.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department.