Tucson man sentenced to 90 years in prison for production and distribution of child pornography
TUCSON, Ariz. – A local Tucson man was sentenced Monday to 90 years in federal prison for production and distribution of child pornography. His sentenced, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins, will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release requiring him to register and abide by sex offender conditions.
Philip Daniel Love, 34, a prior sex offender for child exploitation offenses in Pima County, had pleaded guilty to charges of distribution, possession, and production of child pornography in September 2018.
“The 90-year federal prison sentence for this repeat child sex offender represents a major step towards justice for the young victims whom he abused and exploited,” said Scott Brown, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent in charge for the Phoenix office. “HSI is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, from predators who abuse their trust.”
HSI special agents arrested the defendant in July 2017, after an investigation revealed that he used a file-sharing program to distribute child pornography. A search of Love’s devices revealed over 1,200 images and 270 videos depicting sexual abuse of pre-pubescent victims. In addition, the investigation revealed that Love had created child pornography of a toddler while video-chatting with the child’s caretaker.
“Love exploited a toddler in the recording of child pornography, and distributed hundreds of pornographic images of other children, all within weeks of his release from custody on a similar offense,” said United States Attorney Michael Bailey. “His shocking conduct is deserving of the lengthy prison sentence he received.”
The prosecution was handled by Carin C. Duryee, District of Arizona, Tucson.
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 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3,191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at1-866-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.
HSI is a founding member 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.
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