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June 25, 2020Boise, ID, United StatesChild Exploitation

Twin Falls man sentenced to over 16 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children

BOISE – Bryan Lee Thieme, 39, of Twin Falls, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) acting Special Agent in Charge Eben Roberts and U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also imposed lifetime supervised release to follow Thieme’s prison sentence. Thieme pleaded guilty to the charge Aug. 21, 2019.

According to court records, on May 19, 2018, the Twin Falls Police Department (PD) responded to Thieme’s residence to investigate reports that minors were consuming alcohol at the residence. During the investigation, officers received information from minors at that location that Thieme had taken nude images of minors with his cellphone. Officers also learned Thieme was a registered sex offender on federal supervised release for a conviction of possession of matters of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, entered in the Southern District of California in 2015.

“I’m extremely proud of all of those involved in bringing this dangerous child predator to justice,” said Roberts. “This criminal’s attempt to destroy evidence was no match for the hard working officers, agents, and investigators who dedicate their lives to protecting victims from harm.”

HSI and the United States Probation Office conducted an investigation into Thieme’s activities at his residence. They discovered Thieme had recently reset his cell phone to the factory setting, erasing all of its contents. Twin Falls PD obtained a search warrant for the contents of Thieme’s Google account. HSI agents discovered nude images of minors and two videos taken by Thieme with his cell phone, at his residence April 23, 2018, that depicted a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct with an adult.

This case was investigated by HSI, United States Probation Office, and Twin Falls PD.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As part of its mission, HSI seeks to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and strategically targets and investigates individuals and networks that engage in child exploitation and other victim-based crimes. HSI special agents worldwide work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation by predators who are involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexually explicit material and who travel in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors. In fiscal year 2019, the number of children HSI rescued and/or identified from instances of child exploitation grew to 1,069, compared to 859 the year prior. This fiscal year, as of May 2020, HSI has made more than 1,700 criminal arrests related to the exploitation of children.

Reporting suspected sexual exploitation can help minimize or stop further victimization, as well as lead to the identification and rescue of other possible victims. To report suspicious activity or instances of child sexual exploitation, contact HSI or your local police department.

Tips can be submitted to HSI online at https://www.ice.gov/tipline, by phone at 866-DHS-2-ICE or by contacting your local HSI office. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST or online.

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