Arizona man sentenced to 12 years in prison for child pornography
PHOENIX – A Peoria man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for downloading hundreds of images and dozens of videos of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Shane Perry Anderson, 25, pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to state charges of viewing and possessing child pornography. According to court documents, beginning in August 2013, HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center began investigating an individual with the username “Spapeoria” who was commenting on a free file sharing website. The comments indicated the user had a sexual interest in “preteen” females and was using the site to facilitate the trafficking of child pornography. Through investigation, HSI discovered that the account was being accessed by a resident in Peoria.
"The sexual exploitation of children fuels the disturbing actions of like-minded predators who create the illegal content,” said Matt C. Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix. “It is our duty, with the assistance of our law enforcement partners like the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Together, we will continue to pursue child predators and make them accountable for their unconscionable actions.”
A court authorized search of the West Valley residence where Anderson lived with his parents revealed he had been sharing, downloading, and distributing child pornography for approximately one year. During an interview with HSI special agents, Anderson confessed to viewing and possessing child pornography. HSI special agents searched Anderson’s bedroom and located computers and hard drives containing more than 200 images and dozens of videos of child pornography. The images and video were verified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as being known images of child pornography.
“This office will aggressively prosecute those who prey on vulnerable children,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “This case is an example of the impact we can have as a prosecutorial agency when we work cooperatively with other agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations.”
Anderson was also sentenced to lifetime probation and must register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Arizona Attorney General Joseph Waters.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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