North Dakota man sentenced to 30 years for producing child pornography
FARGO, N.D. — An eastern North Dakota man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for producing and trading child pornography.
This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), and the Fargo (North Dakota) Police Department.
Dewayne William Barth II, 30, of Fargo, was sentenced to serve the statutory maximum of 30 years in prison on one count each of producing, possessing, and receiving and distributing child pornography.
“No prison sentence can restore what was taken from Mr. Barth’s victim,” said acting Special Agent in Charge William Lowder of HSI St. Paul. “But the lengthy sentence imposed on him by the court serves as a warning to those who may consider abusing the most vulnerable members of our community. HSI will continue to work with our state and local partners to ensure those who prey on children are caught and punished.”
Chris Myers, U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota, noted, “This cases illustrates the commitment by law enforcement nationwide to work together to identify, target and arrest individuals who abuse children. The sentence handed down in this case is a strong message that protection of children from this reprehensible conduct remains a priority with the US Attorney’s office in North Dakota and all of our law enforcement partners.”
This case came to the attention of law enforcement after HSI special agents arrested an individual on similar charges in Gatling, Tennessee. A forensic examination of the computer in Tennessee revealed the individual was sharing child pornography with multiple people, including Barth. Investigators also discovered material produced by Barth, depicting a 3-year-old child engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
HSI special agents obtained and executed a search warrant for Barth’s email account which revealed he was receiving and distributing child pornography via a yahoo email account from May through October 2014. The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force also executed a search warrant at Barth’s residence where authorities recovered multiple electronic devices containing more than 11,000 files of child pornography.
In addition to his prison term, Barth was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release; he must also pay $16,000 in restitution and a $300 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.
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 14,000 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 2015, nearly 2,400 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.
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