Wyoming man sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison for transporting child pornography.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Mark A. Klaassen, District of Wyoming. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI.

Joshua E. Poole, 40, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was arrested in Sheridan. On May 2, 2018, Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal sentenced Poole to 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 60 months of supervised release; he was also ordered to pay $3,500 restitution to the victim, and a $100 special assessment.

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 16,000 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 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 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.

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.