Former Bothell resident sentenced to 24 years in prison on several child exploitation charges

SEATTLE – A 53-year-old former resident of Bothell, Washington, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 24 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for production, distribution and possession of child pornography. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Seattle Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

Donald McCoy Jr., was arrested in October 2016, and has been in federal custody since that time. According to records filed in the case, McCoy came to the attention of HSI special agents in 2016, when an undercover agent using peer-to-peer file sharing software observed images of child rape being shared from a computer tied to an internet protocol address that traced back to McCoy’s residence. After obtaining the address and a court authorized search warrant, law enforcement executed the search at McCoy’s home. Forensic examination of various electronic devices revealed that McCoy had produced images of him molesting four young children between the ages of 6 and 13 years old. He molested several of the children while they were asleep.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.

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 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.