North Dakota man sentenced to 16 years in prison for possessing, distributing child pornography

FARGO, N.D. — A North Dakota man was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography.

This sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers, District of North Dakota.

This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Fargo Police Department.

Devon Cole Reed, 27, of Fargo, was sentenced July 9 before U. S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to 16 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Reed was sentenced on two counts of receiving and distributing child pornography, and three counts of possessing child pornography. Judge Erickson also sentenced Reed to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victims.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after the Internet technology company Google notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a specific email account contained child pornography. Law enforcement traced the account to Reed, who was residing in Fargo. A search of Reed's email accounts revealed that he was using these accounts to trade child pornography with other users located throughout the country. Law enforcement also recovered various media from Reed's residence that also contained child pornography.

"HSI has taken a very aggressive stance against those who trade in child pornography in our communities," said acting Special Agent in Charge William Lowder of HSI St. Paul. "Anyone who would violate the most innocent among us should know that law enforcement at all levels are standing shoulder to shoulder to hunt down these predators, and rescue and protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Assistant U. S. Attorneys Jennifer Puhl and Keith Reisenauer, District of North Dakota, prosecuted this case.

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 10,000 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.