North Dakota man sentenced to 6 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography

FARGO, N.D. — An eastern North Dakota man was sentenced in federal court Monday to six years in federal prison for receiving 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, and the West Fargo (North Dakota) Police Department.

Peter Alan Karl, 52, of West Fargo, North Dakota, was sentenced to serve 72 months in federal prison for receiving materials depicting minors being sexually exploited.

Karl came to the attention of law enforcement authorities after it was discovered that he was communicating with individuals who had a sexual interest in children via a website hosted outside the United States. Eventually, HSI special agents and local officers obtained search warrants for Karl’s email accounts and residence where investigators found both electronic and hard-copy images of child pornography depicting prepubescent children.

Karl’s sentence also includes a lifetime of supervised release; and he must also pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

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.