Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Dale Gordon Black, age 63, of Kennewick, Washington, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on December 18, 2018, to three counts of Production of Child Pornography. Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea sentenced Black to a 30-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. The court ordered Black to forfeit $185,900 in cash and his Subaru Legacy, and to pay $305,000 in fines, $5,000 of which was imposed under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on July 18, 2017, undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agents downloaded a child pornography video from an Internet Protocol address that resolved to Black's residence using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and seized many electronic devices from Black’s residence. A forensic examination of Black’s electronic devices revealed child pornography images that he had produced. The images were of three children Black knew either as neighbors or through his work in a local youth mentoring program. Black produced the images at his house and on overnight trips he took alone with the children.

Joseph H. Harrington said, “Prosecuting those who would produce pornographic images of vulnerable minors is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. The sentence imposed in this case serves as a stern warning to offenders that you will be held accountable for your actions. I commend the dedicated work of the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who investigated this case.”

This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:

· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;

· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;

· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;

· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and

· Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Southeast Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Richland Police Department and Kennewick Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Alison L. Gregoire, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.