Montana registered sex offender sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography

MISSOULA, Mont. — A Montana man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus, District of Montana.

Darrin Evan Malley, 36, of Kalispell, Montana, was ordered to serve 120 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. Malley pleaded guilty to the charges in October.

U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus told the court that law enforcement received a complaint from a concerned citizen who had viewed child pornography on the Malley’s computer. At the time, Malley was a registered sex offender who had previously been convicted of transporting/shipping child pornography.  A forensic review of his electronic media revealed more than 1,000 images and roughly 20 videos of child pornography. Malley acknowledged that he knew it was illegal to possess child pornography.

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 12,000 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 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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. 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.