Seattle man pleads guilty federal crimes for creating sexually explicit images of children following HSI investigation

SEATTLE – A Seattle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three federal felonies connected to his creation and possession of sexually explicit images of children, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Cameron Bennett Scott, 53, pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik, July 30.

According to the plea agreement, Scott came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2018 when an internet service provider reported an internet address to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for uploading suspected images of child pornography. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force traced the images to Scott. The investigation revealed he had been communicating with a woman in British Columbia, Canada, about sexually molesting her children — both under the age of 10, and he received files depicting their abuse.

Law enforcement served a search warrant at Scott’s residence in August 2019, seizing two computers and his mobile devices. An examination of a device revealed that he had taken sexually explicit photos of a minor child in his residence in July 2019. The woman in British Columbia is being prosecuted in Canada for the sexual abuse and exploitation of two minor children as a result of the Seattle Police Department and HSI investigation.

Enticement of a minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison; receipt of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum five years and up to 20 years in prison; and possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and HSI as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.