New York man sentenced in Western Montana to 15 years in federal prison for advertising child pornography

MISSOULA, Mont. — A New York man was sentenced Friday to 15 years’ in federal prison, which will be followed by 15 years supervised release, for conspiracy to advertise child pornography.

This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced David Woods, 38, of Corfu, New York, following a May 22 hearing, in which Woods pleaded guilty to the crime.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Montana Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson and Trial Attorney Maureen Cain, of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section, the government stated that if the case had proceeded to trial, the government would have proven that an invitation-only online bulletin board, referred to as Dark Moon, was created in 2011. The bulletin board allowed members to advertise and exchange images of child pornography. In early 2012, Woods became an active member of the bulletin board and continued to be an active member in a more advanced role until April 2013. Woods made posts in the advanced-member section of the board, which included URL links and preview images of child pornography. Woods also requested child pornography from other members of the Dark Moon, and responded to and commented on child pornography posts made by other members. Law enforcement analysis of Woods’ digital and other devices revealed that he used multiple hard drives and a computer in commission of the crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson prosecuted this case along with Trial Attorney Maureen Cain, of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section.

Since there is no parole in the federal system, Woods will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is released from prison.

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 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 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 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.